Iginla's value is ultimately in the eye of the beholder.
We can guess as to what the potential return might be, but there are 3 valuations going on here and for a trade to happen, they'll all have to be in the same ballpark.
Valuation #1 is, what is the expected return to the Calgary Flames for Jarome Iginla. What does the Flames Management and ownership believe he is worth.
Valuation #2 is, What is an opposition GM willing to pay for Iginla? This is not a pure variable. The value of draft picks for teams looking to trade for Iginla is different based on their needs, developed players and prospects in the system. A team with more prospects on the doorstep will value their draft picks less than a team without players on the doorstep. Likewise, teams without players on the doorstep will value their picks more, or, in the case of the Flames, will value the picks less because of their need to acquire these players knocking on the door/contributing (win now).
The third valuation is Iginlas. What is the relative value for my career finishing up in Calgary vs. the relative value of being traded and potentially increasing my value with a solid performance on a solid team? Is it worth it to Iginla to chase success (and with it, a potentially lucrative final contract) vs. keep his family life intact and play out his career on a bottom feeder. Only he knows.
I would be happy with any return for Iginla because it would signify an end to a largely futile era that the team can finally move on from. I'll be sad he's not in a Flames sweater anymore, but I'll still watch him and cheer for him on another, successful team.
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