Danny Heatly dealt to Sens for Hossa...

[SportSavant]

Thrashers Deal Heatley to Senators <!-- END HEADLINE -->

<!-- BEGIN STORY BODY -->By PAUL NEWBERRY, AP Sports Writer 6 minutes ago



The Atlanta Thrashers traded former NHL rookie of the year Dany Heatley to the Ottawa Senators for Marian Hossa on Tuesday, a blockbuster deal involving two high-scoring right wingers.

The 24-year-old Heatley, a restricted free agent, combined with Ilya Kovalchuk to give the Thrashers two of the NHL's most prized young players. The deal was finalized after Hossa signed a three-year, $18 million contract with the Senators earlier in the day.

Hossa led the Senators with 36 goals and 46 assists in 2003-04, the last season before the lockout. The Thrashers also will receive a defenseman, yet to be identified, in the trade.

Heatley's best season was 2002-03, when he had 41 goals and 48 assists. He has been plagued by misfortune since then, most tragically when he was driving a car involved in a high-speed crash that killed teammate Dan Snyder.

Heatley sustained a serious knee injury in the wreck that caused him to miss 51 games the following season. He returned to tally 13 goals and 12 assists in 28 games, but was injured again while playing in Switzerland during the lockout. A puck struck him in the face, breaking the orbital bone.

Heatley was the MVP of the 2003 NHL All-Star game and rookie of the year in 2001-02. He has 80 goals and 101 assists in 190 career games with the Thrashers.

The 26-year-old Hossa, a native of Slovakia, is one of the league's most prolific scorers. He's averaged nearly 35 goals a year over the last five seasons, including a career-high 45 in 2002-03.

It wasn't immediately known if Heatley's contract demands led to the trade. He likely was seeking a deal at least on par with Rick Nash, who signed a five-year, $27 million contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Also, Heatley might have wanted a fresh start after the 2003 car wreck cast a pall over his promising career.

He was sentenced to three years probation after pleading guilty to second-degree vehicular homicide, driving too fast for conditions, failure to maintain a lane and speeding. Heatley also was ordered to give 150 public speeches about the dangers of speeding, and his driving privileges were restricted.

The only felony charge — first-degree vehicular homicide — was dropped as part of a plea deal that kept Heatley from serving any jail time.

 

[JohnMolson]

Hossa is a greedy prick.Put himself before the team. could have taken less and had a chance to win the cup.Now the clown can rot in Atlanta :finger:

 

[SportSavant]

my sentiments exactly...... AMEN

 

[GoFlamesGo!]

Great pick up for the Sens for sure!

 

[FairWarning]

Be interesting to see if Heatley regains his pre-crash form. One thing for sure, the media scrutiny in Canada will be much greater than Atlanta.

 

[ThumperDragon]

Am I mistaken to say that with this Hossa/Heatley trade, Sens can save some cash for Redden???

 

[ThumperDragon]

SportSavant, you didn't like Hossa while he played in Ottawa?

 

[VegasVic]

WOW!!! Don’t you just love the NHL and it’s blockbuster, jaw dropping, trades. And it’s not September yet!

I love the NHL.

I have a much different gut reaction to this trade as you guys. Heatley has not been the same since the accident and that cannot be denied. Hossa is a superstar with incredible talent. OK so he thinks he’s Iginla. Well here’s his chance to prove all the critics wrong that say he isn’t. He won’t have the supporting cast to inflate his numbers like he did in Ottawa. However he still could be on a number one line consisting of Hossa, Holick, and Kovalchuck. How scary could that be? Talk about two athletes that can’t see their entire heads when they look in the mirror. Kovalchuck is no shrinking violet himself.

Marion gets a $13.5 million deal for 3 years? What on earth do you give Ilya now? A quick check of Atlanta’s cap and I see they are over 30 mill already. Lots of questions there and you know the wheeling and dealing aint done yet.

The real sleeper in all this is could be Greg de Vries. Atlanta’s defense certainly needed some attention and getting this solid veteran with plenty of playoff experience shores up a blue line with it’s share of holes.

I like Atlanta with the new rules, their speed, and their goaltending. I'm not saying they win the cup but then again....you never know.

 

[ThumperDragon]

Thank you VegasVic, I was totally freaking out about the trade while everyone around me is telling me it's good. Not only did they trade Hossa, whom has shown his abilities and is definitely comfortable playing with a team he's been with for the last couple of years, but they also threw-in DeVries, as if Hossa wasn't enough.

 

[SportSavant]

definatly a gamble guys, I understand your concern for the sens....

managment has shown however, they will not stand for crybabies.....

heatly is a little tougher, 2 years younger, still early enough for him to bounce back from his car accident & have a nice career with the Sens....

both of your 'thinkings' however are in line with the linesmaker as the odds on the Senators are definatly creeping up.....

I could have had a better price on the sens had I waited till today......

 

[ThumperDragon]

Did you bet on them in Vegas?

 

[SportSavant]

no, I bet them on august 14th at sportingbetusa, at +1200, today thegreek, is offering +1250, even pinnaclesports has higher than +1219........

 

[SportSavant]

Heatley trade does, and doesn't make sense

Shawn P. Roarke / Special to FOXSports.com
Posted: 42 minutes ago



Atlanta's dynamic duo is no longer.


The highly touted one-two punch of Dany Heatley and Ilya Kovalchuk — perhaps the marquee pairing of forwards in the entire National Hockey League — has been touted as the bedrock of a franchise building toward dominance in the coming years.



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Heatley dealt for Hossa ...
<LI>Spector: Deal works for everyone
<LI>Roarke: Deal not good for Atlanta
<LI>Hossa avoids arbitration
<!--<li>Fischler: A deal at last!
-->
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

Tuesday, that foundation was shockingly torn asunder as Heatley, who arrived as the second overall pick in 2000, was traded to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for high-flying forward Marian Hossa and well-traveled defenseman Greg deVries. Heatley, the franchise's face — gap-toothed, mischievous and full of promise — forced the hand of Don Waddell, the Thrashers' general manager, by not-so-subtly suggesting a change of scenery might be in everybody's best interest.

While it may certainly be in Heatley's best interest to move on, especially as he continues to deal with the baggage surrounding the tragic death of teammate Dan Snyder, it is not in the best interests of the Atlanta franchise.

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=3 width=434 align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>

</TD></TR><TR><TD class=caption>Ilya Kovalchuk must now continue his Thrashers career without Dany Heatley. (Scott Cunningham / Getty Images)</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

Heatley, driving his Ferrari at a high rate of speed, crashed the vehicle into a brick and iron fence in a residential neighborhood. Snyder, a passenger in the vehicle, died after spending several days in a coma. Heatley, who suffered a serious knee injury in the September 2003 crash, was sentenced in February to three years of probation and community service after agreeing to a plea bargain in the case.

That penalty, however, paled in comparison to the constant reminders of the tragedy everywhere Heatley turned in Atlanta. There was the accident scene, the faces of Snyder's friends and teammates, the omnipresent 37 (Snyder's jersey number) at Phillips Arena. They were all too much for Heatley to bear.

"I think all of those things led Danny to believe he needed a change of scenery," admitted Waddell.

For his part, Heatley tried to put his best foot forward after blowing up the Thrashers' grand plan just three years after it was put into motion with the drafting of Kovalchuk first overall in 2001. With that move, Waddell had united the game's two premier young forwards in a bid to accelerate the Thrashers' development from expansion patsies to league powerhouse. According to many, the organization's potential was limitless, that is until Heatley pulled the rug out from under everybody.

"Requesting a change of environment was an extremely difficult decision," Heatley said in a statement released by the Thrashers. "After a tremendous amount of reflection and numerous conversations with my family, it made the most sense to seek a change.

"I would sincerely like to thank the fans of Atlanta. I enjoyed an amazing few years in the area and was embraced by everyone in the community. I feel fortunate to have come into the NHL with Atlanta and will always be proud to say I was a Thrasher. The Thrashers have acquired a world-class player in Marian Hossa. All in all, this is a win-win situation for everyone and I wish the best of luck to the entire Thrashers organization and my teammates."

It is, however, far from a win-win situation for everyone.

Give Waddell credit for saving it from being a disaster as he obtained a player with just as much offensive upside as the gifted Heatley. And, as a bonus, that player is a mere two years older than the 24-year-old Heatley.

"My job as general manager of the franchise is to protect our assets," Waddell explained, just hours after making the deal that redefined his team's future. "I felt this was a trade that would help our team."

It may well. Hossa is a world-class talent.

In his five full seasons with Ottawa, Hossa has averaged almost 35 goals per season. Just three years ago, the Slovakian international pumped home a career-high 45 goals, four more than Heatley has managed in his best NHL season. This past season, Slovakia scored 40 goals in just 49 games while splitting the season between the Slovakian first division and the Swedish ElIte League.

Simply put, Hossa can score goals.

"We traded apples for apples," was the clever way Waddell explained it.

But, some apples are shinier than others. That is the law of nature. And, Heatley is undeniably the shinier of these two apples.

Using his infectious smile and boyish exuberance to win over legions of fans, Heatley warmly accepted the mantle of franchise player in Atlanta before things went horribly awry. Hossa has never been able to accomplish that feat during his six seasons with the Senators. In fact, despite his goal-scoring heroics, Hossa will not be overly missed by the faithful in Canada's capital.

Heatley, however, will be missed sorely in Georgia's capital city.

He was the first player to give the Thrashers an identity on the crowded hockey landscape. His four-goal, five-point performance in the 2003 All-Star Game, which drew comparisons to legendary All-Star teammate Mario Lemieux, gave the Thrashers their first extended stay in the national limelight. It was to be a mere matter of time before others arrived.

Now, it will be up to Kovalchuk, who still needs to be signed, by the way — to carry this franchise. Kovalchuk proved he is up to that during Heatley's injury absence. And, he will have plenty of help from Hossa.

But there is no denying that things are very different in Thrasher land today.

"No, it hasn't really sunk in yet," Waddell admitted when he was asked about the sudden breakup of Atlanta's dynamic duo. Come October, when the Thrashers take the ice for the 2005-06 season without Heatley, it will finally, and irrevocably, hit home for Waddell and the rest of the organization.

 

[BlueWolf]

3 years ago, this trade would have been considered a robbery. Today? I don't know. I like Heatley, he's a natural. But I wonder if a simple change of scenery will allow him to get his game back. I told a friend of mine, a few weeks after that accident, that he could become accident-prone, vulnerable to injuries.

One thing is sure, Kovalchuk will miss him more than the other way around. Sens have plenty of talent.

As for De Vries, he brings experience from his cup winning in Colorado and will surely help the Thrashers... but I don't believe his departure will be that significant for Ottawa.

Personally, I'm just happy the Senators did something. I think there really isn't much missing to complete the puzzle.

In the end, I see this as a good risk. I'll try to catch that line at its peak.

BlueWolf

 

[docmercer]

WOW!!! Don’t you just love the NHL and it’s blockbuster, jaw dropping, trades. And it’s not September yet!

I love the NHL.

I have a much different gut reaction to this trade as you guys. Heatley has not been the same since the accident and that cannot be denied.

Wow Vic, cut the guy a bit of slack. 31 games isn't exactly a long time to guage a recovery. While his assists may have dropped, his goal production put him pretty much on pace for 32-35 goals. He sure seemed to have the hands and legs back when he put 3 in the net for Canada at the World Championships in the semi's against the Czechs.

I think Ottawa smelled another Yashin situation arising with Hossa and wanted him on the next bus out before it became an absolute PR nightmare for them (and him). New CBA, new season and no need to immediately become the focus of a pi$$ing contest yet again.

Great trade for Ottawa. Heatley should be a perfect fit and, while I'm not a fan of the Sens personally - should be a blast to watch.

 

[VegasVic]

ktvvegas:

Last year Heatley started in Switzerland and scored 14 goals in 16 games. Sounds great until you consider the level of competition there, which has been described by people such as Joe Thronton, as AHL caliber.
Then he takes a considerable step up playing for Ak Bars Kazan and contributes only 5 goals and 2 assists in 15 games. Even this competition can’t be compared to the NHL and he put up less than impressive numbers.

He has been described by TSNs analyst Pierre McGuire as “missing a gear on his speed” and that he “didn’t look good” in both the world championships and the recent Olympic developmental camp. I never got to see the world championships so personally I really can’t comment on his play.

All this being said I think Heatley will have a fine season with the Sens. How could he not? Look at the team that surrounds him. He goes from the hockey hotbed of Atlanta, Georgia to Ottawa? He gets away from all the ghosts that haunt him and now can just focus on playing hockey. The intangibles are all in his corner.

There is no question that Ottawa got rid of Hossa to free up cap space so that their hands aren’t tied for making further transactions in the next month or beyond and to jettison any ill chemistry before the season begins. Getting Heatley was a good deal for them but freeing up the difference in salary was …..how does the commercial put it? …..Priceless.

This is a tough trade to really get a handle on. All I know is, right now, Marion Hossa is a far better player than Heatley. Will that be still true in four months or four years….we’ll find out. Will Hossa bring more baggage than just his sticks to Atlanta? Who can tell? Time will answer all our questions.

I just feel blessed to have the chance to watch them both play some hockey this year and find out.

 

[docmercer]

ktvvegas:
I just feel blessed to have the chance to watch them both play some hockey this year and find out.

I agree - I just feel blessed to have !#$#@#$ hockey this year. Watching tape delayed games of Swedish Elite League just didn't cut it last season.

 

[SportSavant]

still think Ottawa lost this trade? thumperdragon? vic? :toast:

 

[henderson]

Heatley is a force. An elite power foward is one of the most coveted players for any team, and this guy is just entering his prime. Hossa is a dynamic player, but so is Heatley. Dany's got heart.