Quote:
Originally Posted by atb
That's a bit frustrating to read.
This team is Iginla's for as long as he is on it. It will be really hard for any other player to step up into a leadership role with him still here. We've already seen this season, and in the past few seasons, that Iginla just doesn't get up to play every single game, or even the majority of games. Whether this is due to age, or other factors, it's not only reflected in his play but also how the whole team plays.
There's no doubt what Iginla means to the city, and that rafter space is already reserved for his jersey. This isn't going to change whether he spends his entire career as a Flame or goes elsewhere for the remainder of his career. It's bizzaro thinking that it's better to hold onto a declining asset until there is no value left as oppose to getting a return that will help the team move forward in the long run.
Management and Ownership really need to think about the Flames post-Iginla, because right now I don't see a plan in place (our prospects are nice but nothing proven) and it's a bit scary.
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This is a really good post; If Iggy is going to stay with the organization, at some point the Flames need to seriously look at creating or bringing in players with the ability to lead the team. I thought Backlund has really taken a step in the right direction in this regard, but the efforts we are seeing from Tanguay, Cammalleri is not acceptable. The last thing we need is to miss the playoffs again by 2 or 3 points because our leaders don't have enough inspiration to take the team to the next level of consistency and commitment. We have taken some steps in the right direction in terms of talent and ability but we don't have players that epitomize sacrifice.
One only has to look at last seasons LA Kings to see the kind of commitment, consistency required of the players to go all the way.
Our best players still seem to be stuck in a zone where they just go ahead and take nights off namely every 2nd or 3rd game. It's frustrating to say the least!