Dany Heatley Traded to San Jose; Cheechoo and Michalek to Ottawa

Heatley Had Issues With Teammates

We always knew there was more to the Dany Heatley saga in Ottawa. Nobody would become as big of a problem as he did because he was dropped from the first power play unit to the second.
It took a couple of days but we are finding out more about the story behind the trade. Bryan Murray spilled the beans on Toronto radio station The Fan 590.

“It wasn’t only Cory,” Murray told Toronto radio station The Fan 590 earlier in the day. “I think it was the role on the team a little bit, I think it was ice time a little bit, I think there was, you know, maybe it was the relationship with a couple of the individual players.”

Heatley Responds To Becoming A San Jose Shark

Dany Heatley is ecstatic after finally being traded to the team he's wanted to go to all along. Yahoo! Sports' Puck Daddy has all of the details:

''I'm excited obviously, I'm excited to be a Shark,'' Heatley said. ''I want to thank everyone in Ottawa, the organization the fans, and the city. I had a great four years here (and) I'm happy to move on.''

I don't think I did anything wrong asking for a trade,'' Heatley said. ''I have my reasons for it. If people think differently of me that's fine but I believe I did nothing wrong and I'm happy to move on.''

Reaction to the trade has been mixed, with most thinking that San Jose got the better end of the deal with the hope that Heatley will finally help the Sharks get over their playoff troubles of years past. Jonathan Cheecho and Milan Michalek have had disappointing seasons lately, but if they find their scoring touch again in Ottawa then it would seem both sides came out even. In any event, there's no doubt that there is an overwhelming sense of relief inside the Senators' locker room.

SB Nation Reacts to Heatley Trade

Silver Seven Sens has been looking forward to a Heatley trade all summer long yet doesn't seem all that pleased with the return coming from San Jose:

Immediate reaction to the trade seems to be negative for Senators fans, who think that Ottawa hasn't received full value in the trade. I'm not yet ready to call it a full loss yet, though. Michalek and Cheechoo both had off-years last season, which seems even more depressing given how successful San Jose was as an organization, but there is a chance they could bounce back to give Ottawa a very strong top-six forward corps. Time will tell.

I don’t have to mention how pleased I am at Heatley being a Shark. I’ve been talking about it for the last two days. But I’m even more stoked at the trade itself. We get to keep Marleau, and we lost two players that most seemed to think we could afford to lose! I’ll miss Cheechoo and how happy he always looked after scoring a goal. And we kept our 1st rounder.AND, we kept Marleau! I find this to be a most desirable outcome.

Our first line is scary, now. Our second line is pretty lethal too. I think Setoguci will be more productive than Michalek was on Pavs’ wing. I’m super excited for this season to begin now.

Dany Heatley Traded to Sharks, for Real This Time (We Think)

According the TSN, Dany Heatley has actually been traded to the San Jose Sharks:

Sources tell TSN, Dany Heatley has been traded to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Milan Michalek, Jonathan Cheechoo and a second round pick.

Trade discussions heated up on Friday and Saturday morning before a deal was finally agreed to. A deal that sends Heatley to the team he secretly wanted all along. A team he believed was an option when he refused to waive his no-move clause to accept a trade to the Edmonton Oilers.

Giving up Cheechoo and Michalek is a steep price to pay for Heatley, a player with incredible potential but who has shown time and again has serious attitude issues. He has done this once before, basically whining his way into a trade to get out of Atlanta. A two-time 50-goal scorer, Heatley has a $7.5 million cap hit this season and still has five years remaining on his six-year, $45 million contract.

Good luck, San Jose.

If Trade Isn't Happening, Heatley Welcome Back in Ottawa

Since both GM's involved in the Dany Heatley trade that John Buccigross of ESPN broke last night are strongly denying that there is any deal in place, the question is: what's next for Heatley and the Senators?

Captain Daniel Alfredsson, who said earlier in the week that a trade would be the "best scenario," said that Heatley would be welcomed back in the Senators' locker room, on one small condition: he is willing to work hard. Alfredsson, speaking at charity golf event in Ottawa, went on to say that regardless of what happens, the situation is going to be a distraction. From the Ottawa Citizen:

"It’s going to be a distraction," Alfredsson acknowledged. "You’d much rather not have it of course, but at the same time it’s part of the business…and when you’re playing like we did last year, when you’re struggling, it’s a distraction to answer the same questions every day as well."

Eric Duhatschek at the Globe and Mail believes that Healtey will need to do more than just work harder to mend his relationship with the Senators. His words:

It is a stalemate, an impasse and you’d have to think the only way it gets resolved is for Murray and Heatley to have a one-on-one heart-to-heart meeting in the next few days with [Ottawa GM Bryan] Murray laying it on the line. He’ll advise him to him to come to work every day, play hard, say nothing publicly about his "diminished" role on the team and do whatever it takes to restore his reputation as a top player in the NHL

 Meanwhile, Buccigross, who has taken a lot of heat for reporting what Sharks GM Doug Wilson called "an absolute fabrication," believes that a deal might still yet be done. From Yahoo!'s Puck Daddy:

So I was surprised when it hasn't come through tonight. Now, things are complicated, there could be other parts to it, but I still believe he will be moved. But it appears, as I was told, is not going to happen tonight anyway.

Lombardi Says the Rumored Deal Isn't True

Rich Hammond of Inside the Kings relays this message from LA Kings GM Dean Lombard:

The two-word text-messaged response from Dean Lombardi, in regard to the ESPN-reported Marleau/Frolov-Stoll/Heatley trade: "Complete bull.'"

Murray, Wilson Deny Deal

ESPN has since amended their link, now saying that both primary GMs involved in the trade are denying the deal has happened.

Heatley Trade Confimed According to ESPN

Sources close to John Buccigross and ESPN are confirming a complex deal involving the Senators, Sharks and Kings.

The 28-year-old forward was part of a three-team deal that will send the Sharks' Patrick Marleau to the Los Angeles Kings and the Kings' Alexander Frolov and Jarret Stoll to the Ottawa Senators.

Heatley Deal Imminent?

Rumors of Dany Heatley being moved to the San Jose Sharks have been swirling recently. Today, John Buccigross of ESPN added fuel to the fire with this Tweet: "Dany Heatley will probably be a Shark tonight or tomorrow.."

The Sharks are precariously close to the salary cap ceiling, so a deal for Heatley would have to have to involve someone like Partick Marleau or a theoretical third team upon whom some salary could be off-loaded.

Bryan Murray Says Heatley Trade Unlikely at This Point; Heatley Should Report

Camp invitations were sent out to Senators players last week and the unhappy winger, who has asked for a trade, was told if he needed any help making travel arrangements between his summer home in Kelowna, B.C. and Ottawa, the team would be happy to help.

Murray said the chances of deal happening before camp, which begins Saturday, are slim.

Bruce Garrioch of the Sun Media is reporting that Murray is unlikely to get a deal done before camp starts and that Heatley will most likely report to camp.

This causes many issues for the Senators just because of all that has been said this summer by Heatley and the organization. With the spotlight growing on this situation as camp starts and will continue on, the ability of the players being able to handle this distraction will be tested. If the Senators struggle out of the gate, that distraction will get even worse.

Senators' Captain Not Happy with Heatley

With the Dany Heatley situation in Ottawa growing more tense as training camp nears, Daniel Alfredsson has said that he will demand an explanation from the troubled winger should he return to the team next week.

"If it comes to that (Heatley returns), obviously you can't just wipe it under the rug and go on. You're going to have to address the situation and we'll do that if that's the case next week," Alfredsson told reporters on Friday afternoon.

"There's been teams before where you have guys you don't like on the team. But when it comes to stepping on the ice, everybody just has to work towards the same goal," said Alfredsson. "When it comes to Dany and his situation, once he's on the ice, he's going to do his best - no question."

Alfredsson mentions that a trade before training camp would be the best course of action, although it's unlikely at this point.

"Obviously, it would be the best scenario for everybody. But if it were that easy, something would have already been done. We're ready for whatever happens and make something good out of it."

With what seems like the entire NHL, its fans and players rushing to lambaste Heatley for his actions this summer, former teammate Ray Ferraro came to the aid of the controversial winger.

"Let me tell you something, when I was in Atlanta, I roomed with Dany. Anyone who says he's a bad guy is full of (crap)," Ferraro said. "You had a situation where he signed a big deal and had what I call, 'The Summer of Dany.' He didn't work out, went to baseball games and came back a step out of shape. But you're talking about a talent who was out of shape and still scored 36 goals last year.

"Two years go, he scored 50 goals and how many players scored 50 in the league last year? Two? Does he have more growing up to do? Of course he does. If he winds up staying in Ottawa, he's going to have to go to the team and have a sit down with them to make things right. He's going to have to say that although he's asked been traded, he's ready to give 100%."

"The worst thing about the off season situation is that it went public," Ferraro said. "People don't realize that players ask for trades all the time but the demands never go public and that was unfortunate. But you're talking about a one-shot scorer, and how many of those are in the league."