Heatley Hears a Who?

After being told to “think it over” during the IIHF Men’s World Hockey Championship, Heatley returns with a bolder statement: Trade Me. The Senators extended interim head coach, Corey Clouston, and immediately the 2 time 50 goal scorer has decided a change of scenery is for the best.

“I’ve had some conversations with several teams. I don’t really have a time-table but I have urged teams who are interested to make contact before the draft”, says Bryan Murray. “If there’s an offer on the table from a team he wants but I feel there is a better deal on the table from another team, I’m going to pressure him to accept that or he may end up playing back here [in Ottawa]”.

It’s believed 2 offers have already been extended, or at least 2 inquiries, on the elite sniper. The Edmonton Oilers are believed to have offered Sam Gagner and their 2009 first round pick for Heatley, while the Sharks have apparently offered the likes of Joe Pavelski or Ryan Clowe.

But the Sens are believed to be more interested in Devin Setoguchi, a 22 year old who just came off a 31 goal campaign, and Milan Michalek, the 24 year old Czech who has been promising in his development, but is more of a playmaking forward with the ability to break the 20 goal plateau year in year out.

Leading up to the draft, the attention is certainly on the Senators and what they will/will not do going into free agency. Unfortunately for the Senators, there’s a $4M dollar bonus about to be handed Heatley’s way on July 1st. On that day, Heatley will have made $14M dollars in total this past season. It’s a hefty paycheck to trade away without even considering the bonuses that are owed.

It’s going to take some interesting maneuvering on Bryan Murray’s part to get a deal done, but don’t be surprised if Heatley is back next season in Ottawa.

Micheal A. Aldred
michealaldred@hotmail.com