The Calgary Flames moved in a new direction with the trade of captain Jarome Iginla on Wednesday night.
How the Jarome Iginla trade to Penguins went down
The Calgary Flames traded captain Jarome Iginla to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday night. Here’s how the deal came to be.
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Iginla acted as the face of the franchise for several years, so in trading him, the team is in the beginnings of restructuring their roster in the hopes of developing into a contending team. The decision to begin that process came from general manager Jay Feaster.
During his press conference to announce the transaction on Wednesday night, Feaster stated that he approached ownership about the premise of moving Iginla and then presented the idea to the player. Feaster explained that due to Iginla entering the final year of his contract and the club’s slim playoff hopes, that moving the player to acquire young prospects became the most logical course of action.
After receiving permission from ownership, Feaster interacted with Iginla to receive a list of teams he would be interested in playing for. Upon receiving the list, the organization began negotiations with teams and received offers from three.
Due to the inclusion of a no-movement clause in Iginla’s contract, the final decision on any deal was left to him.
During the course of Wednesday night, it was heavily reported that the Boston Bruins had come to terms on a deal to acquire Iginla. In some instances, reports indicated the deal was on the verge of being announced. However, Bob McKenzie of TSN reported the deal was not done and there were circumstances that needed to be worked out.
While Feaster didn’t directly address the issue, he made it clear that Iginla was deeply involved with the negotiations and made the final decision. It appears that Iginla had the option of playing for Boston or Pittsburgh and opted to go to Pittsburgh.
According to Feaster, Iginla is expected to address the Calgary media on Thursday morning.
More in the NHL:
See More:
