There were a ton of mixed emotions upon reports that Dany Heatley was traded to the San Jose Sharks for Milan Michalek and Jonathan Cheechoo. Shark fans were instantly pissed and now are convincing themselves that Heatley could be the final piece to help them get over the hump. Senator fans thought that they would be able to get more for a guy that asked to be traded over 2 months ago. Hockey bloggers and reporters were pissed because our old standby joke was suddenly taken from us. But the hockey world as a whole had the same reaction: Finally!
Senator Fans: Meet your new version of Mike Fisher
In the days following a trade of this magnitude, everyone’s rushing to judgment to declare a winner and a loser in the trade. It’s obvious, but sometimes it still needs to be said: only time will tell who will get the best of the deal. Like any other trade, every deal has its pros and cons. Here’s a breakdown for both teams after their blockbuster:
Why the move is good for San Jose: The Sharks pick up a guy that has averaged 45 goals over the last 4 seasons. We’re not talking about a career high of 45 goals—we’re talking about an AVERAGE. Do we really need to go any further than that?
The Sharks are a team that has been on the Procopius of Greatness for the last couple of years. Last season the Sharks added Brian Boyle and Rob Blake to their loaded young team. This season, they added one of the best goal scorers in the league. Think about one of the best playmakers in the NHL dishing the puck to one of the best snipers in the league. Thornton made Jonathan Cheechoo a Rocket Richard Trophy winner—just imagine what he could do with Heatley.
The Sharks are obviously stocking up to make a move THIS YEAR. Milan Michalek looks like he’ll be a good 2nd line center for years to come—and if Cheechoo bounces back, he’s proven that he has the hands to be an elite goal scorer. But the Sharks aren’t looking for players to “develop” or “bounce back” this season. They’re looking for guys to make a run for the Cup. And when you think about the history of malcontents around the league, they’re usually on their best behavior for at least the first season. That might be all the Sharks are counting on anyway.
Why the move is good for Ottawa: This is the classic “addition by subtraction” situation. Can you imagine the media circus if Heatley was around for the start of training camp? There’s no question that the locker room for the Ottawa Senators was upgraded in a major way after this trade. First, Heatley and his questioning of Head Coach Cory Clouston have been sent packing. Secondly, they brought in a couple of players from San Jose who, from all reports, are both really good “team guys.”
Michalek should fit nicely on the Sens 2nd line and provide their team with some much needed depth. We’ll see what they decide to do with Cheechoo, but I’m sure people in Canada’s capitol would love to see if he can recapture the magic with Jason Spezza that he had with Joe Thornton. If he can, then the Senators won’t have much of a drop off in production—AND they will have better leadership in the locker room. While Heatley was the kind of guy that whined his way out of Ottawa, this is Cheechoo coming into a situation that he had no control over:
“It’s a no-brainer for them (the Sharks). That’s somebody they targeted and you’re going to have to give up things to get things. To be part of that deal, I’ve got to go to Ottawa and show them they didn’t make a wrong choice.” –Jonathan Cheechoo
Why the move is bad for San Jose: Well, there’s a reason that a talent like Heatley is on his 3rd team—and it’s not because of his shots per game. He’s worn out his welcome in not one, but two cities in his 7 seasons in the NHL. The first time, you chalk it up to a horrible set of circumstances (which they were). But when he asks to be traded a second time, then you notice that it’s a pattern. The vast majority of players never contemplate asking for a trade even ONCE in their career. Heatley has followed through with his trade desires—TWICE! What makes San Jose think that they’ll be any different? What happens if he isn’t getting ice time with the #1 power play unit? What happens if they ask him to move his feet, play in all 3 zones and (God forbid) backcheck? Will he ask for yet another trade?
FINALLY!
Another reason that it’s a tough move for the Sharks is that it adds a $7.5 million cap hit to a team that’s already flirting with the salary cap. In all honesty, the Sharks already moved a young player (and salary) in Christian Ehrhoff to make this trade possible. Next season, both Joe Pavelski AND Devin Setoguchi are in for huge raises—not to mention that Evgeni Nabokov is an unrestricted free agent. It looks like Doug Wilson will have his work cut out for him.
But he did make that splash that he promised. I wonder if this is the splash that Shark fans were hoping for.
Why the move is bad for Ottawa: If you’re an Ottawa Senators fan, you’d hope that you could get more for a superstar than a potential 2nd liner and a former sniper that has more question marks than Matthew Lesko. For better or worse, the Senators have been a one-line team for the last few years—so they’ve decided that the way their team is built is fundamentally flawed. Before you bash the one-line concept, remember that it was only 2 years ago that they were in the Stanley Cup Finals against the Ducks.
For better or worse, Milan Michalek is locked up for the next 5 seasons at $4.3 million per year. The good thing is that they have a young player locked up—the bad thing is that his best-case scenario is 2nd line forward. Time will tell if he’s worth that much money over that period of time—but he’ll have to continue to improve.
Jonathan Cheechoo, on the other hand, wasn’t acquired for his potential. While the Sens are looking FORWARD for Michalek, they’re hoping that Cheechoo can recapture his past success. The pressure of trying to live up to his 56 goal season may have proven to be too much of a burden to shoulder in San Jose. On that note, a change of scenery could be just what the doctor ordered. But do you really trade one of the premier goal scorers in the league for a guy that hopes a change of scenery will turn around his fortunes? Unless you live in Ottawa, THAT is why this trade is bad for the Sens.
Who gets the best player: There’s a theory that says that the team that gets the best player, wins the deal. If that’s something that you believe in, then say hello to Dany Heatley. The man has scored 50 goals in a season 2 different times. Say what you want about his off-ice problems. When you look at the players from a strict hockey point of view, Heatley stands head and shoulders above the other players in the deal.
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So what do you think? Did the Sharks make the right move by acquiring Heatley from the Sharks? Did the Senators receive enough in return?
Matt Reitz is the Editor-In-Chief here at ViewFromMySeats.com and former NHL Writer for ProHockeyTalk on NBCSports. When he’s not shoving a mic in the face of NHLers or explaining why home teams should wear white, he’s usually trying to figure out what song to play next on his iPod. It’s a never-ending job.
