Bruins must trade for Jarome Iginla
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| Jarome Iginla could help Boston win their second cup in 3 years |
The Bruins are off to a great start this year posting a 14-3-3 record in their first 20 games.
The Northeast division is looking tough this season with Montreal Toronto and Ottawa
also playing good hockey. The Bruins need to create separation from the pack
and solidify themselves as the favorite in the East.
The third line has been very inconsistent this year and has
failed to contribute to the score sheet on a regular basis. Chris Bourque is
finally gone but his replacement; Veteran Jay Pandolfo will not be much of an
improvement.
So how do the B’s go about fixing these problems? Simple,
make Calgary an offer for Iginla
they can’t refuse.
The Calgary Flames are 9-8-4 on the year and currently sit in 12th place
in the Western Conference. The Flames are in the midst of rebuilding their
franchise and need several pieces to begin the process of becoming a legitimate
contender.
Their main areas that need improvement are; goaltending, defense
and depth at center. Obviously the Bruins aren’t looking to deal Tuukka Rask
and I would be surprised to see them offer up Khudobin because of how rare it
is to have two starting caliber goaltenders on one NHL team. Basically Khudobin
is an insurance policy for the Bruins and they like having that in place.
The Flames current starting goalie is 36 year old Miikka
Kiprusoff. He has one year left on his deal and is rapidly approaching the age
of 40. The Bruin’s first round pick Malcolm Subban is having a fine year in the
OHL and should be NHL ready by the 2014-2015 season. Subban has the potential
to become an elite net-minder and possibly the face of a franchise.
The Bruins are sitting on a few young prospects that could also
wind up in the deal. 21 year old defenseman Torey Krug is a bit undersized at 5’9
180 but is proving he can be effective at the pro level. Krug was named AHL’s
rookie of the Month this past February and continues to improve on a day to day
basis.
The Flames needs at the center position could be filled by
the likes of Bruins prospects Ryan Spooner and Alexander Khokhlachev.
Trades for this caliber of player almost always include a
draft pick as well. The Bruins would most likely have to send their first round
pick in 2013 which hopefully will be the 30th and final pick.
By adding Jarome Iginla to the roster Boston
would improve immediately and most likely would become the instant favorite to
win the Eastern Conference.
35 year old Iginla is a seasoned veteran who can bring
goals, toughness, and leadership to your team. He would fit in the powerplay immediately
and could wind up on one of the Bruins top two lines. With Tyler Seguin
struggling to score goals and even hit the net it might be time to send him
down to the third line and make him earn his way back to the top.
The Bruins have $12 Million in cap space so taking on Iginla’s
steep $7 Million a year contract would not be an issue. Jacobs saw the dollar
signs when the Bruins won the cup and I bet he has no problem chipping in some
extra dough for another run at the title.
Iginla’s contract expires at the end of this season and he
will then become a free agent. This almost guarantees Calgary
will trade him. If they don’t plan to resign him and there is a chance they
will lose him then it’s a no brainer. You have to start rebuilding somewhere
and for the Flames it starts with moving Iginla for prospects and draft picks.
Rumor has it the Bruins are also interested in Senator's Captain Daniel Alfredsson. He would be a nice addition to the B's lineup but it is unlikely Ottawa will deal him to division rival Boston. Also Alfredsson is five years older than Iginla. If the Bruins can make the deal for Iginla they might get a shot a re-signing him to a multi-year deal.
