Be sure to visit NBCOlympics.com and NBC Olympic Talk for full hockey coverage from PyeongChang.
Jarome Iginla is still without a team but isn’t giving up hope just yet on one last ride in the NHL.
The 40-year-old Iginla, who last played in 2016-17 with the Colorado Avalanche and Los Angeles Kings, was spotted on the ice at Providence Bruins practice on Tuesday, but there’s nothing in the works as far as a deal anywhere, he told the Providence Journal’s Mark Divver.
4 months after hip surgery, Jarome Iginla on ice with @AHLBruins today. Iginla: 'I’d love to still play. This is kind of the 1st step, getting out here & seeing how it is... I wanted to see if I can still go. I don’t have any deals at this point' pic.twitter.com/LiWaOQfTzG
— Mark Divver (@MarkDivver) February 20, 2018
Iginla’s name popped up in contention for a spot on the Canadian Olympic team this fall, but a hip procedure cost him time on the ice and ultimately a place in GM Sean Burke’s final roster for PyeongChang. (The Canadians are doing just fine without him having reached the semifinals of the tournament.)
Now living in the Boston area after buying a house last spring, Iginla, who played 78 games with the NHL Bruins during the 2013-14 season, was simply taking advantage of a favor from the team. He’s expected to skate with AHL Providence again on Thursday as he continues to see where his body is physically.
Iginla -- and for that matter, U.S. Olympian Brian Gionta, who’s also looking to continue playing -- can sign with any NHL team, but to be eligible to play in the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs a deal needs to be inked before the 3 p.m. ET trade deadline next Monday.
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Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.