Avalanche's Iginla on opportunity to play with MacKinnon: 'I'll be thrilled'

The Colorado Avalanche signed veteran right-winger Jarome Iginla during the free agency period and he's excited to get to work with his new team.

The Avs' Nathan MacKinnon won the NHL's Calder trophy last season as the rookie of the year, and two years prior captain Gabriel Landeskog won the same award. These two young, talented players intrigue Iginla.

"Obviously it's early and I'm not sure what the line combinations will be," he told The Denver Post. "They have a lot of skilled guys who could mix and match."

What about playing alongside the team's youngest and best players? "If that's the case, yeah, I'll be thrilled," Iginla said.

"MacKinnon, watching his speed and how he can do everything at top speed, and how driven Landeskog is — his creativity to go with his strength and the power forward that he is — it will be exciting. I think that's a great combination."

The hope is Iginla could bring some toughness to the young line that tended to get knocked around last season. Despite their transition to the NHL, the 18 and 21-year-old combined for 128 points.

Retired Avalanche defenseman Adam Foote said Iginla's presence on their line, if he's given the opportunity, will add 10 pounds to both MacKinnon and Landeskog. "That's important out here in the West."