Jarome Iginla reunites with Darryl Sutter in trade to Kings
Jarome Iginla's tough-luck pursuit of an elusive Stanley Cup rages on.
Iginla's next crack at it will come in Los Angeles, as the Kings traded for the veteran winger just hours prior to the trade deadline on Wednesday. In exchange, L.A. sent a conditional fourth-round pick to the Avalanche.
That fourth-round pick is contingent on the Kings making the playoffs and Iginla re-signing with the Kings when his current contract expires at the end of the season. If those conditions aren't met, the Avalanche will get nothing. Colorado will also eat 50 percent of Iginla's $5.3 million cap hit this season.
The 39-year-old Iginla is recognized for being a former superstar (and likely a future Hall of Famer), but he's been a shell of his former self in recent years and has especially underperformed this season. In 61 games with the Avs this year, Iginla has just eight goals and 18 points, putting him on pace for the worst campaign of his 20-year career.
But the Kings are hoping that the dip in production can be attributed to Colorado's status as the league's worst team this season. They intend to stick Iginla next to Anze Kopitar on their top line and see if that sparks a jump in performance.
The trade not only rescues Iginla from Colorado and puts him on a potential playoff team as he pursues his first Stanley Cup, but it also reunites Iginla with Kings head coach Darryl Sutter, who coached the winger with the Calgary Flames from 2003 to 2006.
Earlier in the day, the Kings traded Dwight King to the Montreal Canadiens for a conditional fourth-round pick (will become a third if King re-signs in Montreal), so they basically swapped Iginla straight-up for King. Or they got Iginla for nothing.
