"That info was not correct," Calgary general manager Jay Feaster said of the reports.
Penguins GM Ray Shero said he made sure to let Feaster know he wanted in on any talks concerning Iginla."We talked to Jay and said if you're going to move Iginla, we would be interested. Over the last day or so, it became apparent they were going to move him. We started getting into more names and scenarios." The addition of an unconditional first-round pick clinched the deal. "The first-round pick was very important to them. They ended up with two good college prospects. That's the price of Jarome Iginla. That's what you have to do. That's what we did."
Feaster said the Flames had three offers for Iginla, and that he worked with Iginla in making a decision on the player's final destination. Iginla, it seems, wanted to go to Pittsburgh and be reunited with Sidney Crosby. The two were teammates on the Team Canada entry that won the gold medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. "We, as an organization, are grateful for everything our captain has done. We've missed the [Stanley Cup Playoffs] the last three years, we are in very tight spot right now as far as qualifying for the playoffs and we have Jarome in the final year of his contract," Feaster said of the club's rationalizing for moving the face of the franchise. Feaster also said it was a difficult decision to make, but it became a necessity when the general manager realized that he could not sign Iginla, an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year, to an extension. "This is not why I came to Calgary, to be the guy to trade Jarome Iginla. It's an unfortunate and difficult part of this business. It was tough. I've only known Jarome for the three years I have been here, and Jarome has been very good to me. They are tough conversations to have."
It is the third major deal in the past 72 hours engineered by Shero, who has yet to move a player off his NHL roster in making his acquisitions. On Monday, Shero obtained gritty veteran forward Brenden Morrow from the Dallas Stars for prospect Joe Morrow and a draft pick. Less than 24 hours later, he plucked veteran defenseman Douglas Murray from the San Jose Sharks for two second-round picks. Now he has bagged Iginla, the prize of this year's trade market. "We're all in. We want to win," Shero said after the deal was made.
The Penguins host the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday, but it is unclear if Iginla will play in that game. Iginla is scheduled to meet with the Calgary media Thursday morning, suggesting he would not arrive in time for a game that evening. Pittsburgh's next game is a Saturday afternoon contest against the New York Islanders at the Consol Energy Center. He brings a lot of different elements, ability to play with good players, play in tough areas, good leadership," Shero said. "He wants to win. The people I've talked to that have played with him talk about what a great teammate and person he is. My expectation is that he'll be a really good fit in terms of the team and the guys that we have."
Still to be determined is how Iginla fits in with the Penguins and whom he'll play. However, Shero said Iginla is willing to do whatever it takes to win. "He said he would help anyway he could, didn't care about role or who he was playing with. He'll accept any role that's asked of him by coaches or teammates. That will be up to [coach] Dan [Bylsma]. They have a month to work things out as far as where things go and what the fit might be. They may play with different players here and there and find that fit with what the roles are and who's comfortable with whom. We have some time to sort through that and find those roles."
Iginla, 35, has nine goals and 22 points this season for the struggling Flames. He has played his entire NHL career in Calgary, scoring 525 goals with the Flames. He had played 441 consecutive games before the Flames scratched him Wednesday night, and had appeared in every game for Calgary since April 8, 2007. "Jarome Iginla is 35 years old. He's not 45," Shero said. "He's like a few other guys that have come here that seem to be rejuvenated playing with these younger players. That's what we're hoping for with the guys that we picked up. Hopefully, that will be the case."
He is a three-time First-Team All-Star, won the Rocket Richard Trophy as the NHL's top goal-scorer in 2002 and 2004, and led the NHL in points in 2001-02. He has been the Flames' captain since the start of the 2003-04 season. A first-round pick by the Dallas Stars (No. 11) at the 1995 NHL Draft, Iginla was dealt to the Flames in a deal that sent Joe Nieuwendyk to Dallas on Dec. 20, 1995. Iginla made his NHL debut with the Flames during the 1996 Stanley Cup Playoffs and had spent his entire career with Calgary. Iginla has appeared in 1,219 regular-season games, scoring 525 goals and 570 assists. He also has 28 goals and 21 assists in 54 postseason contests. Iginla came close to winning a championship in 2004, when the Flames lost Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
"It's different; it's weird for sure," Calgary forward Michael Cammalleri said after the game. "I think he's been such presence on this team, this city, this organization for so long. He's such a dominant player, a guy who is in the lineup all the time not missing any games. His presence will be … it'll be different, for sure, without him."
Calgary sits in second-to-last place in the Western Conference, although they are just six points behind the eighth-place Sharks. But the Flames must climb past six clubs with just 16 games remaining to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. "We're all very aware of what kind of business it is," Calgary forward Alex Tanguay said. "What have you done for me lately? I've been here three years and we haven't been in the playoffs. The position we're in now, no one would call it ideal. [The trade] was forced by the situation. If we're standing in fourth [place], I don't think we'd be unloading a player of his abilities. Obviously, it's caused by the team."
Agostino, 20, was a fifth-round pick by the Penguins in the 2010 NHL Draft. The junior forward has a career-high 15 goals and 37 points for Yale this season. Hanowski, a 22-year-old right wing, was a third-round pick in the 2009 Draft. He is a senior at St. Cloud State, where he has scored 62 goals and 111 points in four years. Both players are taking part in the NCAA Tournament this weekend. "Our pro scouts feel very strongly about these players," Feaster said after the trade was announced. "They fit our criteria for hockey sense, and they have good skill level."
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