Saturday, August 22, 2009

"I'm an offensive guy"

It's been a while since anybody has heard anything, but - what do you know - the "H" word has poked up again.

Dany Heatley the disgruntled high-scoring forward for Ottawa - a player the Rangers had been pursuing a trade for - spoke to the press on Thursday. First and foremost, he made one thing perfectly clear:

"I did not make this trade request public, nor did my representatives. It's very unfortunate that it did become public," Heatley said, "...that's not what I wanted."

Interesting. If Heatley didn't leak the trade request - who did - Ottawa GM Bryan Murray? And why would they do that when they're trying to get full value for him in a trade?
Or was it one of the GMs he was talking to? Why would any of them do that? Well, honestly, that makes more sense - it lowers his trade value.

The Senators actually worked out a trade with Edmonton - but Heatley exercised his contractual rights and - to use the precise legal term - put the kibosh on that deal. That's when the Rangers and the Sharks stepped forward. Reportedly San Jose got farther than we did - but not far enough to land Dany.

Why, exactly is Heatley so unhappy with his remaining 5 year $31 million contract? Dany explained: "I think over the last two years, and more recently over the past year, I feel that my role has diminished; especially this past season, it diminished a lot more. It's something I've been thinking about for a long time. A diminished role -- that's the biggest thing. I'm a player that can play in a lot of different situations. I'm an offensive guy, but I take pride in all aspects of the game and I don't feel I was given that role on the team."

Heatley was actually had 2nd most average ice time of any Senator last year - so we're not exactly sure what he means by "diminished role", but clearly it makes sense to him and he feels strongly about it.

On Monday, Heatley heads to Calgary - not to work out a trade with the Flames, but rather , to start Olympic Camp for Team Canada.

I don't know if the Rangers have the cap space to land him anymore - but it sure is interesting to think about. It's getting a little uncomfortable for Dany, who has a good chance now of returning to Ottawa and playing in front of Senator fans who know he doesn't want to be there. It won't be easy - but Dany started this puck rolling by asking for the trade. And if you can't take the Heat(ley) get out of the.... well, you know.

5 comments:

  1. Heatley is so no saint, but the Senators have blood on their hands too. Bryan Murray tried to squeeze Glen Sather, who rightfully gave him the business and pulled his offer. Then accepted a trade with the Oilers, a team not on Heatley's list, and then played the 'woe is me' card when it was shot down. Murray made his bed on this one by giving him a NTC. There's nothing of substance to complain about there.

    Everything seems to point to the Sens making Heatley's trade demands public. if that truly is the case, they're just as much at fault as heatley is.

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  2. Self-preservation is a basic human instinct. If Heatley returns to the Senators, he will get to work on making things more soft and fuzzy for himself, pronto. He will be humble, perhaps even express gratitude to be given this chance. The fans will accept because they know they would be even worse off if he was literally unloaded just to get rid of him.

    He will score some goals and be welcomed back into the bosom of Ottawa fans. After that, who knows.

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  3. Ryan - Hey - it's an honor to have a comment from The Dark Ranger himself. Welcome aboard. I agree that the Heatley situation is a mess from all directions - from the Senators and Dany himself. But the guy can fill the net and Sather has had some success in the past with players that had issues on other teams (Sean Avery for one). And the possibility of Heatley lined up with Gaborik is fun to think about.

    And to our readers - check out The Dark Ranger for some great perspectives on our hockey team. See our "Sites We Like" on right hand column for the link.

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  4. Hi blow-me-down, thanks for the comment. I was going to think of a nickname for blow-me-down, but it's tough to shorten your name on a family-friendly site. I think you're right about Heatley. If he does stay on the Senators he will make the best of it - and the fans may come around. But he has certianly done some bridge burning - and it may yet land him out of town somewhere - maybe even midtown Manhattan. Thanks again and keep commenting

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  5. Hi Dave - thanks for the chuckle. To clarify, 'blow-me-down' comes from one of my fav cartoon characters, Popeye.

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