A possible sign of things to come, Dany Heatley has asked for a trade from the Ottawa Senators. A franchise destined for greatness could be at the genesis of it's disassemble.
TSN.ca reported that the 28-year old who signed a six-year, $45 million contract extension with the team in October of 2007 (that includes a no-movement clause) informed the team of his desire to play hockey for another club.
The veteran forward became unhappy with his role in Ottawa last season, especially after the Senators made a coaching change. Heatley discussed his concerns with head coach Cory Clouston in the Senators end of season meetings. However, both sides agreed some time away would help remedy the situation.
Apparently not.
In order to trade Heatley, the Senators would have to find a team with the room to take on the final five seasons of Heatley's contract that would count for $7.5 million per season against the salary cap. Teams will be hard pressed to find a more consistent sniper than Dany Heatley and obviously will be prepared to pay a hefty sum to Ottawa for his services.
The Senators have denied reports of being in a 'rebuilding' phase in spite of disappointing play since their exit from the 2007 Stanley Cup Final. If Bryan Murray is not rebuilding the most logical move in dealing Dany Heatley would be receiving two or three players to bring in some much needed depth to the franchise.
Another interesting possibility is trading Dany Heatley for valuable young talent and picks while reuniting with pending unrestricted free agent Marian Hossa.
"We signed [Heatley] to a long-term deal and we expect him to honor it," Murray said on Tuesday. "At this point in time he's a Senator."
Based on talent, Dany Heatley would be welcomed on any team in the NHL. With that long term contract attached to the talent, he may be a Senator well into the summer.
No comments:
Post a Comment