PHILADELPHIA — Bruins right winger Jarome Iginla, who is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on Tuesday, will speak with other teams during the current interview period, according to general manager Peter Chiarelli. He will keep the Bruins in the loop if conversations heat up with another club.
Don Meehan, Iginla’s agent, was planning to meet with Chiarelli in Philadelphia, site of this weekend’s NHL Draft. Meehan said his meeting with the Bruins was his top priority in regards to Iginla.
The Bruins, because of their salary cap situation, would prefer to bring back Iginla on a one-year contract with achievable bonuses. If they signed Iginla to a two-year contract, they could not structure it with bonuses to ease their cap burden. They would have to move out salary to re-sign Iginla to a two-year extension.
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Iginla could land at least a two-year contract on the open market. Iginla, who will turn 37 the day free agency opens, wants to play until he’s 40 years old.
If Iginla doesn’t re-sign, the Bruins would most likely look internally to fill the position. Reilly Smith and Loui Eriksson would be candidates for promotion to the first line.