NHL Trade Rumors: Will Flames Send Jarome Iginla to Stanley Cup Contender?

All signs point to the Calgary Flames making sweeping changes at some point in the near future, which would seem to place star winger Jarome Iginla on the conveyor belt out of town, right?

Not so fast, my puck-privy pals. At 34, Iginla may be old, and as such, particularly desirous of one last shot at hoisting the Stanley Cup.

But he also happens to be fiercely loyal to the Flames, the organization with which he's spent his entire NHL career. He has stated that he wants to lead the team to the Cup, and is willing to grow with it through the rebuilding process.

Of course, his tune, and that of the franchise, could very well change if the Flames continue to flounder as the season progresses. At present, Calgary is tied with Anaheim for 13th place in the Western Conference—the result of maddening inconsistency on the ice.

That being said, it's still far too early in the season for GM Jay Feaster to simply blow up the team and send his one big star packing in the process. Blockbuster trades are a rarity in November, with Joe Thornton's cross-country trek from Boston to San Jose in 2005 serving as the most recent such move.

And the team may very well improve without a big trade. Center Mikael Backlund is due back soon, forcing Feaster to juggle his roster a bit to make room—though not enough to force a wholesale rebuilding effort in the middle of the season.

That's essentially what would be required if Iginla were to ever be placed on the trading block.

If/when it becomes clear to management in Calgary that the Flames are going nowhere, that there is enough demand on the market to bring back a hefty haul of players and draft picks and that Iggy is willing to waive his "no-movement" clause to allow such a deal to happen, then and only then would Feaster likely consider swapping out his franchise star.

The confluence of those circumstances is certainly within the realm of future possibility. The goal-deprived Los Angeles Kings, for one, could certainly use some scoring help, and may well express interest in Iginla sooner rather than later—though to actually acquire him might cost the team an arm and a leg.

Until then, Flames fans will simply have to sit tight with the team they have, for better or worse.

Iggy included.