Jarome Iginla Deserves Better

When Jarome Iginla signed with the Colorado Avalanche this past summer, he probably didn’t envision them being on the outside looking in when the Stanley Cup playoffs kicked off this spring.

The Avs took the NHL by storm en route to a Division Championship before bowing out in 7 games in the first round last year. You had to figure that year of experience, coupled with the maturation of young stars such as Nathan MacKinnon, Tyson Barrie, Gabriel Landeskog, and Matt Duchene would cement the Avs as key player in the West again this year.

Not to mention super-stud goaltender Semyon Varlamov manning the pipes. You wouldn’t be Russian to judgement to say that anyone would want to play in front of Varly. The dude is lights out.

Iginla had to have thought that when he chose to take his talents to the Mile High. Sure, the 3-year deal worth over $5 million annually factored into his decision, but Iginla wants to play spring hockey. After all, he’s no longer a spring chicken. At 37, Iginla is in the twilight of his career, and is still chasing that elusive first Stanley Cup.

It’s not happening this year, and Iggy deserves better. He deserves a chance to compete for a Stanley Cup. Heck, if life were fair, he’d have his name engraved on that thing a couple of times before he hangs up the skates.

Iginla has done his part since arriving with the Avalanche. He is second on the team in scoring with 50 points in 72 games, and nobody in burgundy has more goals than Iggy’s 24.

He has been everything he was advertised to be, and more. The thing that impresses me about Iginla the most is how respectful and thoughtful he is in his interviews. His positive outlook has been refreshing.

I went to my first Avalanche out of town game in Arizona this past week, and was amazed at how much fans talked about Iginla. He was the guy they paid to see, and the respect for him in an opposing building was impressive.

You know that Iginla has to be disappointed that the Avalanche are coming up so short of their goals this year. I think even he knew that it would be a stretch to think that this roster was Cup-worthy entering the season, but you had to think they had it in them to make the playoffs.

Once you’re in, you never know what can happen.

I get the feeling that Iggy isn’t going to be a squeaky wheel about things either. Despite this, the Avalanche owe him a good shot at a Cup run in the next two seasons. I’ll squeak on Iggy’s behalf.

Iginla is a legend of the game, and when Joe Sakic and Patrick Roy agreed to offer him a contract, they also agreed to do everything in their power to make this a Stanley Cup worthy roster before that contract expired.

I think the Avalanche learned some lessons this season. This still has potential to be a very valuable year in the big picture, but the Avalanche must take the lessons learned to actively improve the personnel and systems heading into next season.

Succumbing to the delusion that this team is free of the warts that Semyon Varlamov covers up would be a monumental mistake. The Avs have been playing better since the trade deadline, right? Well, they are 3rd in the NHL with a 0.939 save percentage since the deadline. It’s easy to see who has stepped their game up the most.

The onus is on Roy and Sakic to re-shape the blue-line, continue striving to improve zone-exits and puck support from the forwards, and address the power play. It won’t be easy, but that’s why they get paid the big bucks.

The young core of the Avalanche may think that they have their entire career ahead of them, but the time is now. As Iginla shows, you never know when your opportunity is going to come. Pretty soon, your career is winding down, and you’re still chasing that first championship. I want them to come back next season with a focus and determination to reach that light at the end of the tunnel.

This season, the Avalanche were plagued by a slow start to the season. The players need to be ready to go on time. They don’t have to go 12-1 like they did the season before last, but they can’t get outscored 8-0 in a back-to-back with their biggest rival to start things off either. That’s not a tone you want to set for your season. To me, it starts in training camp and pre-season.

The Avalanche face a great challenge, but also a great opportunity. I have every reason to believe they can succeed and win a Cup for Iggy. There are great young players in place, and a coach who is bold and has his player’s backs. This team has fight, heart, and character. Now they just need to polish it up into a finished product.

Jarome Iginla deserves to win a Stanley Cup. Every team shares the goal of hoisting the 35 pound trophy over their heads at season’s end, but the Avs have an extra reason to do it. They’ve done it before, with Raymond Bourque. Time to do it again.

Next: Colorado Avalanche: Importance of Playing Hard

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