Iginla trade

[Dape02]

Team 1 in sig

My wheeler Huberdaue

For

Iginla 2nd

[havanablast21]

At first glance, I'm saying NO WAY are you trading Huberdeau for Iggy (which is essentially what this boils down to. Then having seen your team, it's clear you're stacked for years to come at Center and with Talk of Hubs being LW eligible...you're not too bad their either. RW...yes you could definitely use the 1 or 2 years of Iggy type production I feel he's still capable of providing. I'd try to get that draft pick bumped up to a 1st round pick playing off of Huberdeau's WJHC hype on top of the general hockey prospect hype surrounding him.

I'd make this deal. But ONLY because I feel you're so deep at Center that this RW additiona actually helps your team now.

[bizzl]

Not worth it. The difference between Iginla and Wheeler is a lot smaller than it used to be. Conservatively Wheeler should score at a 60 point pace, giving him ~35 points this year. If Iginla scores at a 70 point pace, which I think is optimistic, then he'll score ~40 points. The 5 points isn't worth the drop-off between Huberdeau and the 2nd. On top of that, Iginla is probably done within the next year or two, whereas Wheeler, and especially Huberdeau, will be paying dividends for the duration of the new CBA.

[havanablast21]

Originally Posted by bizzl

Iginla is probably done within the next year or two, whereas Wheeler, and especially Huberdeau, will be paying dividends for the duration of the new CBA.

No disrespect intended here, but why do so many people echo your statement that "iggy is probably done in the next year or two"?

Is there any reason to believe that one of Canada's greater hockey products could not continue to produce at the same rate as Sweden's (Alfie 40+) or Finland's (Selanne 40+) or USA's (Chelios...gone now but played until what...45+) and most recent Canadian undervalued Ray Whitney.

All these guys (maybe not Chelios) are playing at an elevated level INTO their 40's now. With Iggy's work ethic and drive for the game (which I don't think has ever been questioned) why do so many people feel that he's done at 36 or 37?

Just interested. I see Iggy as a potential steal...especially now that he is undervalued. See him get moved and suddenly start producing like Whitney did last year or how Selanne has continued to do? He could have 5 to 7 years left of play valued as a top 20 player (at least).

Just a thought is all. Maybe I'm wrong.

[Joe_Sakic19]

Originally Posted by bizzl

On top of that, Iginla is probably done within the next year or two

The following doesn't pertain to the OP + his value compared to Huberdeau + 2nd pick but what is this 1-2 year BS based on exactly?

Granted he is not the Iggy that steamrolled the league in the 2000s but he is constantly in top shape coming into camp and is a hell of a competitor. Im not saying he will be a Teemu Selanne type of player into his 40s but Iggy doesn't get the credit he deserves. He still has one of the best shots coming down the wing and Im sure goalies still shudder when he kicks that one leg up and snaps the puck.

Not to mention that after this year (maybe even this year) he will likely get his chance(s) with a contender. Unless Jay Feaster/Bob Hartley and the Flames work some magic to keep him interested this year (and more importantly beyond) would be surprised if he stays with the organization despite his pure class and willingness to retire a Flame. The will for a cup ring will take over if they stink this year and I expect he'll move on.

Iggy will be around for more than 2 years - bank on it. On which team, who knows, but I'd take this bet any day of the week. His career will not over by 2015, I'd even say he has a chance at the Olympics in Sochi still. His role and pure dominance are the only things that are changing, not his staying power.

Iggy done in 2 years? Ridiculous!

[havanablast21]

[QUOTE= His role and pure dominance are the only things that are changing, not his staying power.

Iggy done in 2 years? Ridiculous![/QUOTE]

Agreed. Thanks for stating that. Glad I'm not the only one who thinks so. And I'm still kicking myself for trading Iggy 2 years ago when I tried to rebuild with a youth movement. It's taken that long to land a Kessel and hopefully Yakupov will develop enough to make me forget about what I traded away at RW.

[MarmotKing]

I don't see a big gap between Iggy and Wheeler this season. And loosing Huberdeau for a 2nd pick will definitly hurt down the road.
I'm not a fan of this trade.

[bizzl]

Originally Posted by havanablast21

No disrespect intended here, but why do so many people echo your statement that "iggy is probably done in the next year or two"?

Is there any reason to believe that one of Canada's greater hockey products could not continue to produce at the same rate as Sweden's (Alfie 40+) or Finland's (Selanne 40+) or USA's (Chelios...gone now but played until what...45+) and most recent Canadian undervalued Ray Whitney.

All these guys (maybe not Chelios) are playing at an elevated level INTO their 40's now. With Iggy's work ethic and drive for the game (which I don't think has ever been questioned) why do so many people feel that he's done at 36 or 37?

Just interested. I see Iggy as a potential steal...especially now that he is undervalued. See him get moved and suddenly start producing like Whitney did last year or how Selanne has continued to do? He could have 5 to 7 years left of play valued as a top 20 player (at least).

Just a thought is all. Maybe I'm wrong.

You missed the best example of a player being successful into his 40s! Lidstrom was 42 when he retired and if he came back now I'd still want him on my team.

When I say that Iginla will be "done in a year or two" what I mean, in this context, is that he won't be a relevant fantasy contributor when he's 38 and 39 years old. He could easily still be playing but if he's changed his game from a scorer into a checker, like so many older players do, then what good is he from a fantasy perspective?

Alfredsson, Whitney, Lidstrom, and Selanne all have something in common. They aren't physical players. Last year Iginla dished out 124 hits. The other four combined for 144, and most of those were from Alfredsson (52 hits), who wasn't 40 at the time (DOB Dec 11, 1973). Iginla has spent his career being a power forward, which is hugely taxing on the body. None of the players in their 40s, and very few players beyond 36-37, are what I'd consider to be effective power forwards.

The fact that Iginla is the main offensive catalyst of the Flames is also an issue to his longevity. He has led the team in scoring every year since 2000-01. In the same amount of time Selanne has led his team in scoring 4 times: 00-01, 01-02, 05-06, and 11-12. Alfredsson has lead his team in scoring 3 times: 01-02, 08-09, and 09-10. Whitney, 5 times: 01-02, 02-03, 06-07, 08-09, and 11-12. Iginla has led his team 11 times to the combined 12 times of the others.

The point is that all of these guys have had other people to share the load with. Selanne has Perry and Getzlaf (and had Pronger and Niedermayer) and Alfredsson has Spezza and Karlsson (and had Heatley, Chara and Hossa). Whitney had no help in Columbus and led his teams then, but he was also in his late 20s/early 30s. Once he got to Detroit and had Fedorov, Hull, Shanahan and Lidstrom though, he was routinely 5th-7th on the scoring chart. In Carolina he had Staal, Stillman, and Brind'Amour. He even had Yandle and Doan in Phoenix. When Selanne, Whitney and Alfredsson have needed to they've stepped up, but they haven't always needed to, which I think has added a bit to their careers. Compare that with the only players other than Iginla to break 80 points with the Flames since 2000-01: Cammalleri (82 in 08-09) and Tanguay (81 in 06-07). Iginla himself has done it five times.

If you wanted to you could read that as meaning that Iginla is never going to slow down, but no one can keep up that pace indefinitely. Personally I think it's impressive that he's done it this long with so little help.

For every Selanne, Whitney, and Lidstrom there is also a Modano, Shanahan, Fedorov, Roenick, Recchi, Robitaille, Turgeon, and Andreychuk. They all played into old age, by hockey standards, but they were ineffective when they got there. Iginla could play until he's 43, but the odds that he will do that AND be a relevant player are slim. For this year I think Iginla is a solid option, but I think it's asking too much for him to still be carrying the Flames when he's 38.

I never really thought about why I considered Iginla to be close to the end of his career, other than his age, but I'm glad you pointed it out to me. I had fun looking at it.

[havanablast21]

Superb Analysis. Interesting take! Thanks for taking the time to share that.

[Joe_Sakic19]

Fair enough Bizzi, well defended.