Listening to Iggy the other day when he got word of his HOF induction, I wondered if regretted not sticking around Boston on 1-year deals rather than taking the guaranteed 3-year deal in Colorado. He didn't see much in the way of individual or team success there, whereas I think he would of been a nice fit in Boston in 2015 and 2016 given the leadership, style and structure of the organization/team.
Iginla was very good here and meshed with Krejci and Lucic very well. He was actually one of the few Bruins forwards who had a good playoff run in 2014. The only problem with him being here was that Chiarelli was playing a shell game with the cap and destroying our future to sign him on a bonus-laden contract. Put us in cap jail, made us have to trade Boychuk, then it all went to hell.
In retrospect, he probably would've found more team and individual success by staying in Boston, but in 2014 the Avs had just had a surprise first place finish under a new coach who brought an exciting form of hockey back to Colorado, the team had a core of young superstars in Duchene, Landeskog, O'Reilly, and MacKinnon. In the summer of 2014, that franchise probably looked like the future of hockey, the next Blackhawks. I don't know exactly how it all fell apart, whether the league caught up to whatever Patrick Roy was doing, or he just lost the room or internal locker room issues tore them apart, but how the same team plus a thirty-goal scorer and veteran leader went from division champs to dead last, I don't know.
If he stayed in Boston, they would've had to clear even more money or kicked the can down the road another year with the bonus cushion. I think the major reason the 2015 team faltered was how they didn't replace Iggy and then Krejci missed half the year with a hip injury, leaving Lucic as the only actual 2nd liner they had - and he was not motivated to play with Seth Griffith, Soderberg, Kelly, and the other rotating door of centers and wingers he got. Then his age started showing. If Iginla was there on the right wing, maybe he at least would've kept Looch accountable and they would've had a productive 2nd line despite Krejci's absence. They at least make the playoffs, and Chia doesn't have to panic trade for Brett Connolly in a vain attempt to save his job, maybe we pick up a defenseman at the deadline to replace Boychuk. Who knows...