It is really hard to pin point anything that the Pittsburgh Penguins may need to add to their roster, but one thing may be sticking out in Penguins fans minds. A veteran presence may be something many people overlook or say is overrated, but it is something that sticks out between the 2009 Stanley Cup year to this team.
A name that has surfaced through the grapevine is Calgary Flames forward Jarome Iginla. Iginla could be that veteran presence that this team could use moving forward the rest of the year. Last season he finished with 67 points (32G, 35A). The 35-year-old forward is off to a slow start this season with only eight points (1G, 7A) in 11 games.
Moneywise, the Penguins have cap space and Iginla would be a good fit making $7M this season which would not affect their numbers. Rumors are that the Flames seem like they may want to start dumping salary soon and possibly could move goaltender Mikka Kipprusoff as well.
Iginla has been with the Calgary Flames his whole career which began back in the 1995-1996 season. He is a six-time All-Star and holds Flames team records in goals, points and games played (Has not missed a game in the last four seasons). In the 2007-08 season, he finished with the most goals in his career with 50 and with 98 points. In his career he has 516 goals, 557 assists in 1188 games.
With the Penguins, Iginla would be good fit to play with Sidney Crosby. He is a big strong power forward that battles and has a great shot. The two of them also played together in the Olympics playing on team Canada.
Having someone like him could mean a lot for the Penguins who are trying to make it back to the Stanley Cup finals. An issue for them the past few years, especially last year against the Philadelphia Flyers, was letting other teams getting under their skin and then they take bad penalties. That wasn’t an issue back in 2009 with veteran guys like Bill Guerin who led by example and in the locker room because he knew what it took to win.
What is missing on Iginlas resume is a Stanley Cup. He led the Flames to the Stanley Cup finals in 2004 where they lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning. This could be an inspiration for the Penguins to win again, not to say they need that. They did this in 2008 with Gary Roberts and again 2009 with Guerin. At 35, his opportunities are dwindling and a trade to the Penguins could put them as a big favorite moving forward.
The Penguins have more than a month until the trade deadline on April 3 and many things can happen. They do not have many other holes on their roster, but adding another top winger to be with Crosby along with Evgeni Malkin and James Neal could them over the top especially in such a shortened season. Expect them to make some type of move, but Iginla could be a great fit.
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