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Dany Heatley has been traded again. The Sharks sent the star forward to the Minnesota Wild on Sunday night in exchange for another star forward, Martin Havlat.
It's about an hour before the clock turns midnight on the Fourth of July, but that's not stopping the San Jose Sharks and Minnesota Wild from making a major, blockbuster trade this Sunday evening. Dany Heatley has been traded from the San Jose Sharks to the Minnesota Wild, and in return the Sharks pick up forward Martin Havlat.
Heatley has a slight no-movement clause in his contract according to Darren Dreger of TSN. He submitted a list of 10 teams that he wouldn't accept a trade to, and Minnesota clearly wasn't one of those teams.
Given Heatley's history when it comes to trades, the story behind this one will certainly be anticipated. Did he ask for one (again)? Did the Sharks just feel they needed a shakeup? Was it about the salary cap?
Statistically, the two players are quite similar offensively: in 2010-11, Heatley put up 64 points -- 26 goals and 38 assists -- with the Sharks while Havlat put up 62 points -- 22 goals and 40 assists -- in 68 games. Havlat comes with a cap hit of $5 million for the next four seasons, while Heatley's contract hits the cap at $7.5 million per year and expires afterthree seasons.
For more reaction on the trade, check in with SB Nation's Wild blog, Hockey Wilderness, and our Sharks blog, Fear The Fin.
Dany Heatley Excited About Trade To Minnesota Wild
It wasn't so long ago that Dany Heatley was considered one of the NHL's top snipers. From 2002-03 to 2009-10, the forward registered at least 39 goals in every complete season he played and scored 50 goals twice. But last year was not so kind, as he slumped to 26 goals and posted a career low .80 points per game, while battling several injuries.
With last week's trade to the Minnesota Wild -- in exchange for Martin Havlat -- Heatley has a chance to resurrect his career. He says he's looking forward to that chance and thinks that along with former Sharks and new Wild teammate Devon Setoguchi, there's a good chance the Wild can be back in the playoffs:
The Wild are coming off three consecutive playoff-less seasons. Last year, they scored just 206 goals, the second lowest total in the Western Conference. In Heatley (26 goals) and Setoguchi (22) they added two players, who even during down years for them, would have led their team in goal-scoring.
Jul 05 2:01p by Jeremiah Oshan - 1 comment