Ray Shero went all in early Thursday morning.
The Penguins announced that Jarome Iginla, the most coveted player available for the approaching NHL trade deadline, had been acquired from Calgary.
"I know his background in terms of his character: great person, great worker, and he wanted to come here," Shero said.
Iginla was landed for a first-round pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, and prospects Ben Hanowski, a right winger, and Kenny Agostino, a left winger.
Iginla, 35, is the all-time leading scorer in Calgary history. He played on a line with Penguins captain Sidney Crosby during the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
Like left winger Brenden Morrow and defenseman Douglas Murray – each acquired by Shero over the last few days – he is on an expiring contract.
Shero said he has not discussed contract extension with Iginla or any of the recently acquired players.
He also stressed that Iginla, like Morrow and Murray, are willing to "accept any role" with the Penguins (26-8-0, 52 points), who have won 13 consecutive games.
Iginla is not likely to play against the Winnipeg Jets at Consol Energy Center on Thursday night.
The Penguins now have 15 forwards, nine defensemen and two goalies on their roster, Shero said.
The trade for Iginla is part of a push by Shero to build another Stanley Cup champion.
The Penguins won the Cup in 2009, but have since won only one playoff series, losing three in a row to lower-seeded clubs.
However, armed with salary-cap space and a wealth of draft picks, Shero began retooling the streaking Penguins this past Sunday when he landed Morrow from Dallas for defensive prospect Joe Morrow. Draft picks were also exchanged.
Shero snagged Murray, a physical defenseman, from San Jose the next day for a pair of picks.
The NHL trade deadline is April 3, and Shero did not commit to being done shopping even though he has added three players.
The Penguins added wingers Chris Kunitz, Bill Guerin and Craig Adams prior to the 2009 deadline.
Shero said he is aware of the strong chemistry with is current players, but the Penguins have not moved anybody off the NHL roster in these trades.
They still have nearly $15 million in salary-cap space to add players.
Iginla, though, is the big fish, as he was also being pursued by Boston – perceived widely as the Penguins' top challenged in the Eastern Conference.
Iginla had nine goals and 13 assists for the Flames this season. In over 1,200 NHL game he has recorded 525 goals and 1,095 points.
Rob Rossi is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at rrossi@tribweb.com or via Twitter @RobRossi_Trib.
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