The NHL trade deadline is only a few weeks away and the Jarome Iginla watch is officially on according to Triblive.com.
The website states that the Calgary Flames Captain is being hotly pursued by the Pittsburgh Penguins who hope to acquire him to play alongside NHL superstar Sidney Crosby.
According to the report, the Penguins want Iginla because he played along Crosby in the Gold Medal winning Canadian side in the 2010 Olympics. Furthermore, he has not won a Stanley Cup and the Penguins are a top contender. His veteran presence and intense gameplay night in and night out would add an extra element to the Penguins.
Another team interested in the star is the Boston Bruins who are looking to add more scoring depth in Iginla.
However, the website does note that "There is a better chance he stays with the Flames than leaves. It will be his call, and these types of breakups do not usually happen. For every Raymond Bourque, there are a handful of players that choose to stay where they are rooted, and Iginla, the Flames' captain, is firmly rooted in Calgary."
Iginla's contract expires this season and many view him as a solid rental for a playoff contender. However Iginla has the final say on where and if he goes. At the age of 35 his window of opportunity to win hockey's top prize is closing and as Calgary Sun reporter Eric Francis notes, "[Iginla's] aging team has been stuck in purgatory, chasing that elusive final playoff spot the last three years with nothing to show for it except costly trades aimed at forever trying to patch major holes with short-term solutions. Things aren't progressing. They haven't for years."
The Calgary Sun recently published an article regarding Iginla's situation and noted that the player's agent Don Meehan mentioned that the Calgary Captain "is not currently in negotiations" to extend his contract with the club.