The apple of his eye, in Jarome Iginla's best estimation, is now 11 lb. With gurgling and cooing daughter Jade in his arms while he's on the phone, Iginla's pride clearly comes through.

"To me, she's really big," he says, surely with a papa's smile. "I change her diapers and spend a lot of time with her and it's been fun.

"It's been a big positive out of the lockout but the family's ready to get back and play."

Iginla will be back in a game situation today, part of the Brad May and Friends charity game in Vancouver. He'll be skating in Kamloops Wednesday for another installment.

For now, though, his eyes aren't on Europe.

"Complete backburner right now," he said.

That's because the eternally optimistic winger believes the PA offer given Thursday will provide the basis for a new collective bargaining agreement.

However, he'll need a new deal, too.

Iginla is a restricted free agent, after a season in which he made $7 million US.

"I'm optimistic," he said. "They've gotten done (before). We've talked before -- no communication since the lockout -- and there was positive discussions. I think there's definitely a deal to be reached."

What it'll take to put Iginla's signature on a new contract remains to be seen but the Calgary captain admits he knows it'll be about three quarters of what he was looking for before the lockout.

"I think the 24 percent hits the whole market and I fall within that market," he said.

Iginla said he and agent Don Meehan don't have an agreement in place with Flames GM-head coach Darryl Sutter but he is ready to build on a season that saw the Flames make the playoffs for the first time since 1996 and stun the world en route to a run that ended in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final.

"I think we're a better club than last year," he said. "Simply because we're getting older."