Hockey 2010-2011

[shadows]

Wow! The Sharks seem to be wanting to make some changes! First they traded away Setoguchi, and now Heatley is gone to Minnesota!

From tsn.ca:

SHARKS SHIP HEATLEY TO WILD FOR HAVLAT IN BLOCKBUSTER DEAL

The San Jose Sharks have traded forward Dany Heatley to the Minnesota Wild for forward Martin Havlat.

Heatley scored 28 goals and added 38 assists in 80 games for the Sharks last season while Havlat scored 22 goals and added 40 assists in 78 games for the Wild.

The Wild inherit the last three years remaining on Heatley's deal that will count as $7.5 million a year under the salary cap. However in real money, Heatley will make $8 million in 2011-12, $6 million in 2012-13 and $5 million in 2013-14.

Havlat has four years left remaining on his current contract, with an annual cap hit of $5 million.

Heatley, who has a modified no-trade, had to submit a list of 10 teams he wouldn't go to before July 1. Minnesota was not on that list.

"When players that we have targeted become available, you need to be able to react quickly and you also have to pay a price in order to acquire them," Sharks general manager Doug Wilson said in a release. "When we made the Brent Burns trade, we knew we still needed to address our speed up front and we think the acquisition of Marty does that."

According to his agent Allan Walsh, Havlat agreed to waive his own no-trade clause earlier in the day to facilitate the move.

This is the second major deal between the teams over the past two weeks. The teams completed a draft-floor swap that sent Devin Setoguchi, former first-rounder Charlie Coyle and a 2011 first round draft pick to Minnesota for defenceman Brent Burns and a 2011 second rounder.

Heatley's tumultuous time in San Jose comes to an end after just two seasons. He demanded a trade from Ottawa following the 2008-09 season and was shipped to San Jose for Milan Michalek, Jonathan Cheechoo and a 2010 second round draft pick.

He has drawn criticism for his lack of production in the playoffs, scoring just five goals in 32 games over the past two post-seasons.

In 669 career NHL games, Heatley has scored 325 goals and chipped in 364 assists. His 26 goals last season tied for the second lowest single-season total of his career, equaling his rookie total in 2001-02 and better than only his 13 goals from 2003-04, in which he played only 31 games.

Havlat's 62 points from last season was good for the third-best total of his career, behind 2008-09 and 2003-04. He put up 77 and 68 points in those two campaigns, his last in Chicago and Ottawa respectively.

The Czech-born Havlat has scored 209 goals and added 303 helpers in 621 career NHL games between the three clubs.

Both players have a past with the Ottawa Senators. Heatley suited up for the team for four seasons between 2005 and 2009, while Havlat was drafted by Ottawa in the first round, 26th overall in 1999. The Sens would deal Havlat as part of a three-way trade in 2006.

Heatley was originally drafted second overall by the Atlanta Thrashers in 2000.

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I wonder if he regrets whining about wanting out of Ottawa a few years back?

[k.sucks.you]

Originally Posted by shadows

Wow! The Sharks seem to be wanting to make some changes! First they traded away Setoguchi, and now Heatley is gone to Minnesota!

...

I wonder if he regrets whining about wanting out of Ottawa a few years back?

sharks want the cup. Bottom line.

Doug Wilson is keeping it interesting. We picked up some more room under the cap, despite the trades.

It's sad to see players you like go (seto), but I want a cup too!

-K

[shadows]

Originally Posted by k.sucks.you

sharks want the cup. Bottom line.

Doug Wilson is keeping it interesting. We picked up some more room under the cap, despite the trades.

It's sad to see players you like go (seto), but I want a cup too!

-K

Does getting Burns and Havlat make them much better than they were? The problem with Havlat is that he is injury-prone and I don't see him as the player he used to be. I imagine that Heatley is a cancer in the locker room so that is probably why the Sharks were willing to get rid of him. I think that they will regret getting rid of Setoguchi to be honest, as he was awesome in the playoffs.

[k.sucks.you]

Originally Posted by shadows

Does getting Burns and Havlat make them much better than they were? The problem with Havlat is that he is injury-prone and I don't see him as the player he used to be. I imagine that Heatley is a cancer in the locker room so that is probably why the Sharks were willing to get rid of him. I think that they will regret getting rid of Setoguchi to be honest, as he was awesome in the playoffs.

Seto will be missed. He was young, fast, and a good guy who came up through the organization. Losing him, we needed some speed. We'll see if Havlat has it.

Everyone is injury prone by the time the playoffs roll around and the games matter. Thornton and Clowe had separated shoulders, Heatley a broken hand ... The list is long.

Heatley scored a hat trick on his first game in San Jose. People here liked him, and the players too. There were a gaggle of surprised well wishing tweets from them after the trade was announced. I don't think he "was a cancer in the locker room", because the Sharks are pretty successful. When they weren't, he was as much to blame as anyone, and he knew that. He wants to win, and he knows the game. In a less successful organization he might piss people off telling them how to do their jobs. I really don't know, but here in SJ, he was always a professional.

I'm never sure how things will shake out until they do. I don't think the Sharks are much weaker or stronger than last year. Maybe, at this point, I feel some optimism? They've got, maybe this year and next to win it, before age starts to take more of a toll. Tough to point to any weaknesses that glare. They should contend again. Last year we all said: the d is weak without Blake.

I would like to go on record that the Wild make me think of Christmas every time I see them. I imagine I'll laugh when I see Seto and Heatley in red and green. They'll get applause here in the tank when they return...

-K