[Locke]

Originally Posted by Jay Random

These are good questions.

My answers are not good, but based on what I've seen so far this season, I'm saying:

1. Yes, his acquisition prevents other acquisitions. Suppose the Flames are in a playoff spot in February and a defenceman blows a tire. Absolutely, in that case you use your cap space to get a replacement D before you spend it on Iginla. However, there is some chance that there won't be a better use of the space at that time, so you never can tell.

2. If he's being acquired for future considerations, a very late pick, or a prospect who's likely to be lost on waivers next fall, the acquisition cost is basically zero and I would be fine with that. So you never can tell.

3. At the moment, Iginla is not playing better than any forward on the Flames' roster. However, we all know he starts slow, and every year it seems to take him longer to round into form. If he gets it together and has 10+ goals before the deadline, then he may be in a good position to push one of the Flames' roleplayers out of the lineup. So you never can tell.

However, I am not a betting man, and at this point I'm not risking a nickel on the basis of ‘you never can tell’.

ObOnTopic: The Oilers, on the other hand, have a history of betting the farm on ‘you never can tell’. I suspect they'd trade for Iginla in a heartbeat, except that I very much doubt he'd waive his NMC to go there. Long may their incompetence wave!