Colorado Avalanche Should Consider Trading Jarome Iginla

2014-15 has been a nightmarish season thus far for the Colorado Avalanche. It seems that the advanced stats proponents were correct; Colorado’s abnormally high shooting percentage from last year has dropped precipitously, and goals have consequently been much harder to come by. As many in the hockey community expected, the Avalanche’s leaky defense hasn’t been able to keep the puck out of its own net. With the season seemingly already lost, the young Avs would be smart to put some of their veteran players on the trading block. No player should be higher on that list than Jarome Iginla.

Iginla hasn’t been very good this year, putting up only 9 points in 18 games and showing clear signs of age. Still, there’s no denying the leadership and natural goalscoring talent that he brings to the table. Little has gone right for any Avalanche player in 2014-15; it wouldn’t make much sense to hold Iginla to a higher standard than everyone else.

The contract that Colorado signed Iginla to during the summer is admittedly an albatross ($5.33M cap hit through 2016-17), but another team may be willing to take it on in an all-or-nothing run at the Cup. The Avalanche could also elect to retain some of Iginla’s salary and potentially receive better assets in a trade. In any case, it’s eminently clear that Colorado should be making the 37-year-old available; the team has no need for him in a lost season and might as well do all it can to turn the questionable decision to sign him into a positive.

Sean Sarcu is a Chicago Blackhawks writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter or add him to your network on Google.