The Heatley Saga ... my take.

Today my good friend and infinitely more talented blogged, JC of Senschirp.ca, speculated that Dany Healtey will be dealt before training camp. While I usually do not make it a habit to refute whatever is said on Senschirp, I do not think Heatley will be traded to a team waiting in the wings any time soon.

Dany Healtey produced his list of clubs he would go to and he has already nixed a trade, twice, to a club not on said list. Of the clubs that JC is reporting having some interest only one is on Dany's list; the San Jose Sharks. The asking price, however, is exceptionally high and I have already stated who I want to see coming back from the Sharks... I doubt it is the same as Bryan Murray, but who knows.

I fully believe with the Olympics looming Dany is looking to be motivated in any market. He wants to make that team and Yzerman will unlikely take a prima donna who tries to sit out. Count on Heatley being at camp and showing up to open with the Senators, but I wouldn't go too far past November when clubs realize that they want Heatley. Why? If a club truly wanted Heatley and knew that the Oilers already put up their best offer, they would be going out of their way to acquire him with better deals. It's just that simple.

However, Murray needs to sign Elliott after trading Auld and there is a matter of cap hit. In order to get under the cap either Chris Kelly or Jason Smith have to go. There has been a lot of talk online about Christoph Schubert in the mix with Smith and Kelly for getting traded out of Ottawa, but that remains to be seen. As it stands, those three names keep coming up if Heatley is going to remain an Ottawa Senator for at least part of the season...

Sorry JC. We usually see eye to eye. I just don't see a club caring until they know Dany wants to and can play on a team again.

Not Sens related, but still important.

I made a group on Facebook today and enlisted the help of Stuntman Stu and Dylan Black from two of our local radio stations to help spread the word. Since the City of Ottawa vis-a-vis OC Transpo are woefully out of touch with the modern student they felt that students over 27 years old were freeloaders and should need to pay the full adult bus pass amount rather than the discounted student one. This is insulting to the students of Ottawa, your or old(ish) and poses that if they wanted to change how students are treated they could do so at a whim.

Help me put preasure on the city and make this group means something. Join Against the Age Cut-off for Student Bus Pases!

Salaray Dumping...

Today Bryan Murray moved Alex Auld to the Dallas Stars for a sixth round pick in 2010. What does that mean? Well, a couple of things. The Senators can now have Elliott up full time to backup Pascal Leclaire for 30-35 games which will do wonders for the kid's development. It also means that the Senators dropped additional salary ($1mil to be exact) and are closer to getting the club under the salary cap.

Meanwhile, Alex Kovalev wants to reach out to Dany Heatley and asked the pissy winger to stay. Kovalev wants to be a team player and not be the torch carrier in Ottawa, which speaks volumes about his character. I could have been wrong, but one day does not entirely convince me that Kovalev will hold to his word. However, Bryan Murray and owner Eugene Melnyk have postured that Heatley is staying in Ottawa unless a stellar deal comes through. In that idea and should Kovalev be successful in his attempts to convince the superstar to tough it out, the Senators still need to drop some salary to get under the cap. Moreover, Murray likes being a few million under so that he can add a part in the mid-season point ... Count on more changes and soon.

How do you feel about Heatley staying? Check the poll!

- BigW

ps. Most likely that $1mil dump will be offered to Elliott as he is a RFA still.