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Iginla on trade talk: “I believe as a player we can still make the playoffs”

Jarome Iginla

Calgary Flames captain Jarome Iginla recently appeared on TSN 1050 (Toronto) to discuss a variety of topics: Joining the 500-goal club, his most memorable marker, rejected realignment and when he wants to retire.

And as you’d expect with any Iginla interview, there was plenty of trade talk.

The 34-year old’s situation is precarious. He’s the prized asset on the West’s 12th-place team, set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of next season and therefore a hot commodity for playoff-bound clubs.

What does Iginla make of the trade rumors?

“Really it’s about the playoffs. I understand the trade talk and it’s part of sports. It’s hockey and fans are interested. It totally makes sense as far as the talk goes, but I believe as a player we can still make the playoffs.

“We do know it takes about 95-96 points to give ourselves a good shot, so we need to go on a run. Teams get injuries and that’s part of it. We’ve had our share. We’ve had some key guys out, but we stayed a float and hopefully we are getting some back and we go for a run, but it is about the playoffs. You get there anything can happen. It’s the most fun time to play and it’s also the lowest time as a player too when you miss them at the end of the year.”

Let’s look at Calgary’s playoff chances. Over the last two seasons, the eighth-place teams in the West were:

2010-11: Chicago, 44-29-9, 97 points
2009-10: Colorado, 43-30-9, 95 points

So let’s assume Calgary -- currently 19-19-5, with 39 games left -- needs to finish with (roughly) 43 wins and 10 loser points. The Flames would have to go something like 24-10-5 to finish the year, winning 64 percent of their games. Making the playoffs isn’t impossible, but a really tall order.

And if there’s one thing to be taken from the interview, it’s that Iginla wants to be a playoff participant, something he hasn’t been the past three seasons.

Iginla’s done almost everything a player can do for an organization -- he’s played 1000 games in a Flames uniform, scored 500 goals in a Flames uniform and won a truckload of awards in a Flames uniform. The only thing he hasn’t done is win a Stanley Cup -- something that, let’s be honest, isn’t going to happen with the current Flames roster.

But will Iginla’s Albertan loyalty trump all else? While it sounds like he really wants to make the playoffs, it also sounds like he only wants to make them as a Flame.