"Jarome Iginla would never admit it, but he's thinking about the possibility of life without the Calgary Flames.
So say several sources close to the longtime Flames captain who believe the 34-year-old winger is quietly struggling with the realization his dreams of winning a Stanley Cup will not play out in Calgary.
If he's to complete the championship journey he fell one game short of in 2004, he will have to waive his no-trade clause or sign elsewhere two summers from now.
Until now, Iginla has publicly refused to believe what the hockey world has known for some time: The Flames' downward trend is real. Publicly, he's steadfastly insisted he wants to be part of the solution and win a Cup in Calgary.
Given the mess former GM Darryl Sutter left behind, that's not going to happen anytime soon, and who could blame Iginla for trying to digest exactly what that means?
"He's at a point in his career he has to decide what he wants," one team source said.
"I think, at times, he plays like he wants out. I think it screws him up mentally."
With his now broken-up line mired in a slump that had his trio accounting for just two goals while going minus-19 in its last seven games, Iginla was essentially called out last week by his coach for failing to buy into the team concept and play a larger defensive role. Brent Sutter wouldn't name Iginla specifically, but the ongoing battle between the two philosophically continues as Iginla continues to insist that he's needed most offensively.
He is, but with just six goals, things aren't working.
"He's never actually come out and said he's thinking about (waiving his no-trade clause or asking for a trade) — he's not going to because he'll look like he bad guy," another source said.
And therein lies the rub.
Iginla doesn't want to do anything to tarnish his iconic name in town and would somehow like to preserve his good standing with fans even if he does eventually leave. The organization is extremely sensitive to public sentiment and doesn't want to upset people by asking him to lift his no-trade clause.
Truth is, no one would blame or fault Iginla for wanting to move on. Flames president Ken King and GM Jay Feaster said Saturday they believe Iginla is "part of the solution.""
