CALGARY -- Jarome Iginla was noticeable by his absence from the ice Wednesday night -- and no one noticed more than his Calgary Flames teammates.

While the Flames were beating the Colorado Avalanche 4-3 at Scotiabank Saddledome, their captain was a healthy scratch in the wake of trade negotiations that eventually saw the 35-year-old traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Kenneth Agostino, Ben Hanowski and a first-round pick in the 2013 NHL Draft.

His teammates didn't know the destination postgame, only that Iginla was no longer their captain.

"It's hard," forward Alex Tanguay said of seeing Iginla go. "Over time, you build relationships and I've been playing with Jarome for the better part of five years. Sometimes a situation occurs where those types of things are forced to happen. It's sad to see."

After weeks of speculation, the Calgary Flames made it official early Thursday when they dealt their longtime captain, Jarome Iginla, to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Iginla, who leads the Flames' franchise in career games played, goals and points, had spent his entire NHL career in Calgary since being acquired from Dallas in a trade for Joe Nieuwendyk more than 17 years ago. He led Calgary to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final in 2004 and owns a pair of Olympic gold medals earned while playing for Team Canada.

Here's a look at the timeline of Iginla's career:

December 1995 -- The Flames acquire Iginla, a forward with the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League, from Dallas in a trade for veteran center Joe Nieuwendyk. The Stars had drafted Iginla with their first-round pick (No. 11) in the 1995 NHL Draft.

With the NHL Trade Deadline a week away, the Calgary Flames may be preparing for life without their captain.

The Flames announced about two hours before game time Wednesday that Jarome Iginla will not be in uniform when they play host to the Colorado Avalanche.

The team said "No further information will be provided at this time."

Iginla has been in the lineup for every one of Calgary's games since April 7, 2007, a streak of 441.

SAN JOSE -- The San Jose Sharks open a seven-game homestand Wednesday night against the Anaheim Ducks, and no one has to tell them what's on the line during this upcoming stretch at HP Pavilion.

"It's more than important," forward Ryane Clowe said after the Sharks' morning skate. "It's probably crucial, the fact of where the standings are, where we sit and where this team wants to go. So if you're going to make a push with the amount of games we have left, it's crucial. It's probably a make-or-break home series."

The Sharks haven't missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2003, but with just 17 games remaining in their schedule, they'll undoubtedly need a strong homestand to avoid an early vacation.

With 34 points, the Sharks are tied with Nashville for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West -- San Jose has the edge, for now, based on having played two fewer games than the Predators. Dallas (33), Columbus (33), Edmonton (31), Phoenix (30) and Calgary (28) are each six or fewer points behind.

PITTSBURGH -- "Crankshaft" was anything but cranky during his first day with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Two days after being acquired via trade from the San Jose Sharks, 6-foot-3 defenseman Douglas Murray went through his first practice with his new team Wednesday.

At 245 pounds, Murray instantly became the largest Penguins player. If his first opportunity to speak to the Pittsburgh media is any indication, he also is among the Penguins who are larger-than-life.

Murray said several Penguins asked him what nickname he preferred, many asking specifically about "Crankshaft."

"I've had so many nicknames through the years -- one that actually stuck was Crankshaft," said Murray, who declined to discuss the origin of the moniker. "Over time, it became 'Cranky' -- which I don't like because I'm not a cranky person. I really don't care. People can call me whatever they like."

PITTSBURGH -- A day after returning following a nine-day absence because of a lower-body injury, Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang has been placed on injured reserve and will miss 7-10 days because of a separate lower-body injury.

The Penguins recalled defenseman Simon Despres from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League on Wednesday to take the roster spot of Letang, who is the NHL's scoring leader among defensemen.

Letang, who has 28 points in 28 games, was activated from injured reserve Tuesday after missing three games. He logged more than 24 minutes in Pittsburgh's 1-0 win against the Montreal Canadiens, its 13th in a row. But Letang told RDS after the game that he was not 100 percent after the first period.

Wednesday, RDS reported Letang's new injury is a broken toe.

Milan Lucic

Left Wing - BOS

GOALS: 5 | ASST: 13 | PTS: 18
SOG: 49 | +/-: 3

BOSTON -- Even during the longest goal drought since his second season in the NHL, Milan Lucic found it easier to get away from the pressures of the game off the ice than in years past because of a big change that happened at home.

In January, his first child, Valentina, was born.

"It definitely makes it better when you go home and you see someone like that," Lucic said. "You can be in the worst mood, but when you see your child and you see them happy and that type of stuff, it kind of takes your mind off things. It's definitely put things in great perspective."

PITTSBURGH -- Lars Eller chuckles sheepishly.

The product of a country that, according to Eller, has all of 25 hockey rinks, the Montreal Canadiens center hesitates to acknowledge the very thing that perhaps established him as an NHL regular might just have been temporarily being told he's not one.

Lars Eller

Center - MTL

GOALS: 4 | ASST: 12 | PTS: 16
SOG: 62 | +/-: 5

"But sometimes, I guess, you have to hit your low point before you can go up."

The 13th pick in the 2007 NHL Draft, Eller, a native of Rodovre, Denmark, was poised to take the next step in his NHL career this season. And, by all indications, he has -- even if the first impression he gave new Canadiens coach Michel Therrien wasn't a good one.

Therrien made him a healthy scratch for the second and third games of the season in January.

Every Wednesday during the season, NHL.com Correspondent Brian Metzer will provide you with an in-depth analysis of fantasy defensemen in our weekly segment: "On the 'D'-fence." From updated defensemen rankings to guys you should keep a close eye on and much more, Metzer will be your fantasy d-man expert all season long.

Sergei Gonchar

Defense - OTT

GOALS: 2 | ASST: 20 | PTS: 22
SOG: 55 | +/-: 4

All the Senators have done since that fateful February day is go 11-4-4 and keep pace with both the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens in the Northeast Division. One of the main catalysts for their success has been Sergei Gonchar.

Gonchar, who turns 39 years old in less than a month, has been nothing short of amazing for the Senators and has done a masterful job of offsetting the loss of Karlsson.

The New Jersey Devils on Wednesday reportedly signed defenseman Jonathon Merrill to a three-year, entry-level contract.

Merrill, a 2010 second-round pick (No. 38), just completed his junior season at the University of Michigan. According to The (Bergen) Record, Merrill also signed an amateur tryout contract with the Devils' American Hockey League affiliate in Albany. He will remain with Albany the rest of the 2012-13 season.