Los Angeles Kings Should Re-Sign Jarome Iginla
Towards the end of the 2016-17 season, the Los Angeles Kings acquired Jarome Iginla at the trade deadline. Here’s why the Kings should have, and still should, re-sign him.
As someone with a few layers of separation from the Los Angeles Kings, I can’t tell if this is an unpopular opinion, but it’s part of my series. Again, that’s mainly because they shouldn’t trade Drew Doughty (at least not yet) and Anze Kopitar isn’t overrated. It gets hard to argue that when he’s on pace to have his best season ever.
However, having Jarome Iginla on the fourth line would help the Kings. Especially when LA is tied for fourth in the Western Conference in goals for. They’re tied for 10th in the league, as of Dec. 21. Yet they struggle to find consistent depth scoring. You can never have too many goals, as this NHL season and the Tampa Bay Lightning would tell you.
Why The Los Angeles Kings Should Have Re-Signed Iginla
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Iginla brought consistent depth scoring last season. In 19 games with the Kings, Iginla had nine points, including six goals. That’s more than the current LA Kings fourth line has combined.
He would fit better in the bottom six instead of returning to the top six, where he was playing last season with the Kings because he’s taken a step back. Even with the kick in his step and confidence that he gained playing in LA, Iginla isn’t the power forward that he was when he was in Calgary, Boston, and Pittsburgh.
Yet he remains a competent, able veteran who would have brought a lot of heart to the team. Iginla also could have made an amazing mentor for guys like Adrian Kempe and Alex Iafallo. That kind of leadership and knowledge of the game is hard to find, but it can be found in someone who should be a Hall of Fame lock.
Besides, how expensive could a 40-year-old bottom six forward be? The Los Angeles Kings currently have about $3 to $5 million in cap space. That’s plenty to fit in Iginla, who at the very most would have been two million.
Lastly, Iginla had decent (but not great) possession metrics for the whole season, including facing tight competition. He could be a solid offensive member of a good fourth line, somebody who can help cover a defenseman and then get back on offense and help get scoring chances. Not a bad player by any means.
Why They Didn’t
The Los Angeles Kings didn’t re-sign Iginla because he’s 40 and clearly has lost a step. They clearly wanted to get younger, and they have. That’s been a factor in making the team a playoff contender again. It’s what the Kings wanted, and now it’s happening.
But I’d rather have Iginla than Jussi Jokinen, even at this stage in both of their careers. I think Iginla would be a better member of that fourth line, and somebody who could be more productive. I think the Los Angeles Kings still have the cap space and time to sign Iginla and get him back into being a productive member of the team.
It’s just a matter of desire, and I don’t think it’s there in LA. Which is a shame – Iginla is a living NHL legend, with two Rocket Richards and an Art Ross. He’s still got that talent, it’s just at a slower pace, perfect for a lockdown fourth line.