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Jarome Iginla happy he can rest easy knowing Calgary won’t trade him

Jarome Iginla

Calgary Flames’ Jarome Iginla celebrates a goal by teammate Jamie Lundmark, not pictured, against the Vancouver Canucks during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Vancouver, British Columbia, on Saturday, Jan. 9, 2010. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Darryl Dyck)

AP

While the Flames have been dealing with inconsistency and team captain Jarome Iginla has had to put up with rumblings about how he could, possibly, be traded only to see them denied away it appears that he’s settled down. After netting a hat trick against Chicago on Friday night, the real Jarome Iginla could very well be back. Today, Iginla was happy to talk about the rumors and about how he can just go back to worrying about helping his team improve.

While the notion of dealing the team’s best forward and captain seemed crazy, the Flames (and Iginla) were in need of a jump start somehow. For now, it looks like the Flames will have to find another way to do it. Vicki Hall of Flames Insider got the lowdown from Iginla on how he feels to put the crazy speculation behind him.

“Yeah, I talked to the team,” Iginla said Sunday morning in the lobby of the team hotel. “They just reassured me that wasn’t in the plans.

“I’m focused on helping us climb up here.”

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“You try not to think about it,” Iginla said. “Trade rumours are always part of it. But definitely, I appreciate the support.

“It definitely helps to focus.”


Calm words from the feisty captain in Calgary. The sad part here about the rumors that popped up is that Iginla is the one guy in Calgary that could pull in a prime trade package. It’s also sad that it would take Iginla moving to Los Angeles (as the rumors suggested would be the case) to make him an appropriately huge superstar in the NHL. That’s not to say he isn’t one now, but the kind of profile playing in L.A. with a team like they’ve got there would help put him into another stratosphere.

As trade rumors go though, they’re more for discussion and personal entertainment/torture than they are for facts and actual possibilities. As for the Flames, if they’re going to get into the playoffs this year, they’ll need Iginla to do it. If he keeps cranking home goals the way he did on Saturday, they’ll be in much better shape to do just that.