True Blockbuster: Hossa for Heatley

[Ryan]

Am I the only one that absoultely loves these star for star trades?

TSN.ca reports a d-man is also going to Atlanta.

If he comes back healthy, I give the edge to Ottawa. They'll put up very similar numbers, but I love what Heatley brings to the ice every game. Ottawa has needed a change for a long time, Heatley could put them over the top.

[franko]

ryan said:

Ottawa has needed a change for a long time, Heatley could put them over the top.

But they got their change when they dumped Bonk (remember him?). Bonk is the reason that the Sens didn't win the Cup last time (along with the no longer Sen Lalime). The players the fans hated are gone; Hossa is well-liked. The deal isn't going over very well -- especially if Phillips goes.

[Habit]

Thngs are getting scarry in the east. This is a win-win trade for both teams.

But with Heatley's criminal file, I thought he had to stay in the US? Must not be the case, but Ottawa is looking dangerous.

[Forum Ghost]

This deal looks good for both teams but I think that the edge goes to the Sens.

They now have a deadly one-two punch down the middle and down the right side.


Heatley-Alfredsson

Spezza-Havlat

[Forum Ghost]

Who will be the Thrashers' #1 center now that Heatley is gone?

Will it be Bobby Holik? It might have to be.

[HFTO]

Wow!.........is all I can say.
Hossa put alot of stress on the cap situation and poof!

In an instant they don't lose any scoring and get some serious cap relief.
Good job Mucks!
HFTO

[Habs_fan_in_LA]

Ottawa improved 200%.
100% on the ice and 100% on the cap.
Would they have settled for our Hossa and a Ferarri?

[insomnius]

Imagine what Holik must feel - I bet part of why he wanted to be in Atlanta in the first place was to play with Ilya and Dany...

OOPS!

[franko]

Will Heatley find new direction in Ottawa?

By Jeff Schultz | Tuesday, August 23, 2005, 06:38 PM

Two weeks ago, Dany Heatley phoned Don Waddell and told him he was changing agents again. Also, if it were at all possible, he would like to be traded.

As the Thrashers’ general manager, there are at least two scenarios you would never envision. One is a late night phone call informing you that two of your players were in a horrible car wreck, both are in intensive care and one is near death. The other is that the face of your franchise wants out - and you’ll seriously consider it.

The fact that one scenario preceded the other speaks volumes.

“Prior to the accident — no, I never thought something like this could happen,” Waddell said Tuesday. “But I guess with everything that has happened, it’s not a total surprise. I had hoped it wouldn’t come to this. But in the end, I had to do what’s best for the franchise.”

Trading Dany Heatley.

Best for the franchise.

How could those sentences possibly ever intersect?

Heatley wasn’t merely the Thrashers’ best hope for respectability, a player admired by everybody on the ice, behind the bench or in the executive suite. He was the league’s top rookie one year and the MVP of the All-Star Game the next.

In his rookie season, 35-year-old veterans found themselves looking up to a 20-year-old. In year two, Heatley scored 41 goals and looked like captain material. He was that rare mixture of skill, leadership and charm.

That was Heatley then.

This is Heatley now.

more from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

and ATL fans say . . .

[M. Beaux-Eaux]

Great post franko.

Heatley has a hellhound on his trail. Let's hope that he can shake it.

[seventeen]

Assuming Heatley returns to his pre accident form, this deal is a slam-dunk case of Grand Larceny in Ottawa's favour. While Hossa is a great scorer, Heatley is as well, and he'll actually continue it into the playoffs. It should be noted that Muckler wasted no time in ridding himself of what is sure to be a chronic contract headache. Hossa's attitude, to me, says in capital letters that he's concerned with him first, the team second.....or maybe third. Those kinds of guys don't often find themselves on championship teams. Ottawa has certainly placed more emphasis on character (as have the Habs). They're going to be a tough team....if their goaltending holds up. Besides, there were three top 2 right wingers on that team. One too many.

[sergejean]

WoW!

My first reaction was: why would Atlanta do that? They pick up a big salary for a guy that hasn't proved anything in the playoffs when it counts the most... and they send packing a potential franchise player...

Really, I don't understand this trade...

[M. Beaux-Eaux]

sergejean said:

WoW!

My first reaction was: why would Atlanta do that? They pick up a big salary for a guy that hasn't proved anything in the playoffs when it counts the most... and they send packing a potential franchise player...

Really, I don't understand this trade...

The links that franko included in his post explain a great deal of what was behind the trade.

[Deleted]

Smoly hokes! Croly hap!

How many times do we have to face the Sens this year...?

[jkr]

seventeen said:

Assuming Heatley returns to his pre accident form, this deal is a slam-dunk case of Grand Larceny in Ottawa's favour. While Hossa is a great scorer, Heatley is as well, and he'll actually continue it into the playoffs. It should be noted that Muckler wasted no time in ridding himself of what is sure to be a chronic contract headache. Hossa's attitude, to me, says in capital letters that he's concerned with him first, the team second.....or maybe third. Those kinds of guys don't often find themselves on championship teams. Ottawa has certainly placed more emphasis on character (as have the Habs). They're going to be a tough team....if their goaltending holds up. Besides, there were three top 2 right wingers on that team. One too many.

There are some big "ifs " here.

Heatley suffered a torn ACL in the car wreck among other injuries and doesn't look fully recovered. By all accounts he had a poor World Championship series. And MVP of the Alll Star game is a far cry from serious playoff experience.

Hossa is a terrific scorer who has had good playoffs in the past - like the New Jersey 7 game series not that long ago. And the Thrashers get a solid defenseman. I can't see it being a slam dunk for anybody right now.

[Disgruntled70sHab]

forumghost2 said:

This deal looks good for both teams but I think that the edge goes to the Sens.

They now have a deadly one-two punch down the middle and down the right side.


Heatley-Alfredsson

Spezza-Havlat

When you match them up like this it really does look awesome.

I heard Pierre Maguire say yesterday that this is Havlat's opportunity to step up. Granted, but while he has the talent, I don't know if he is willing to pay the price. Hossa did from time to time, but even he wasn't consistent in that area.

I think it's good for both teams. Ottawa has a young impact player who would fit in anywhere they need him. The Thrashers have another young exciting player who can put fans in the seats.

Both should do well. But, until Heatley proves he is fully recovered from his injuries, the jury remains out on the Ottawa side.

Cheers.

[M. Beaux-Eaux]

mattdhf said:

Smoly hokes! Croly hap!

How many times do we have to face the Sens this year...?

Only 8.

[Habs_fan_in_LA]

I can't see how Heatley will get less media attention in Ottawa than in Atlanta, home of the Braves, Falcons, Masters (Agusta), Hawks, Bulldogs football, stock cars and endless discussions of bass fishing.
He'll have the OPP watching him on one side and the QPP on the other with the press tracking his every move. Unless Ottawa football comes back big to take the pressure off him?

[franko]

habsfaninla said:

Unless Ottawa football comes back big to take the pressure off him?

Or the Mardi Gras promotion returns.

[Doc Holliday]

...I might be the only one, but I am really happy that Hossa is out of our division. In regular season, the guy is an offensive powerhouse that can turn game around on his own... Heatly is no chopped liver but he no longer has Kovalchuck on his line...

I think this is a pretty fair trade but I'm not convinced the Sens are clearly a better team right now.

Many predicted that the new CBA would spell the end of blockbuster deals and poof!

[BadCompany]

habsfaninla said:

I can't see how Heatley will get less media attention in Ottawa than in Atlanta, home of the Braves, Falcons, Masters (Agusta), Hawks, Bulldogs football, stock cars and endless discussions of bass fishing.
He'll have the OPP watching him on one side and the QPP on the other with the press tracking his every move. Unless Ottawa football comes back big to take the pressure off him?

I don't think it was the media that was bothering Heatley. Its the ghost of Dan Snyder, staring at him from every nook and cranny in the dressing room. I mean geez, Heatley had to wear Snyder's number on his sweater. That couldn't have been easy, wearing the number of the guy you killed all the time.

Unlike Doc, I think this is a great trade for Ottawa. A good one for Atlanta too, but a great one for the Sens. Personally, I'd take Heatley over Hossa, as I think he is a little more physical and stronger, and the fact that he's making like $2 million less is pure bonus. By throwin in De Vries the Sens save another $2 million. De Vries is nice, but he's making $2.28 million, and he is at best their #4 defenseman. That saves Ottawa about $4-5 million against the cap.

As for Heatley's performance on the ice, after being in that wreck, and tearing his ACL, he came back and scored 25 points in 31 games, or .81 PPG. Not bad considering it normally takes a year or longer to re-hab an ACL (ask Pavel Bure) and he was back in 4 months. The only question mark will be his head, and his mental state. In that area I think being in Ottawa might actually help him, as a rabid hockey market will shower him with love and attention. He might even be able to forgive himself.

[Douper]

Would Atlanta do Kovalchuk vs Marcel Hossa?

[Forum Ghost]

badcompany said:

I don't think it was the media that was bothering Heatley. Its the ghost of Dan Snyder, staring at him from every nook and cranny in the dressing room. I mean geez, Heatley had to wear Snyder's number on his sweater. That couldn't have been easy, wearing the number of the guy you killed all the time.

Yup. And having to drive by the site of the crash didn't help either.

Unlike Doc, I think this is a great trade for Ottawa. A good one for Atlanta too, but a great one for the Sens. Personally, I'd take Heatley over Hossa, as I think he is a little more physical and stronger, and the fact that he's making like $2 million less is pure bonus. By throwin in De Vries the Sens save another $2 million. De Vries is nice, but he's making $2.28 million, and he is at best their #4 defenseman. That saves Ottawa about $4-5 million against the cap.

As for Heatley's performance on the ice, after being in that wreck, and tearing his ACL, he came back and scored 25 points in 31 games, or .81 PPG. Not bad considering it normally takes a year or longer to re-hab an ACL (ask Pavel Bure) and he was back in 4 months. The only question mark will be his head, and his mental state. In that area I think being in Ottawa might actually help him, as a rabid hockey market will shower him with love and attention. He might even be able to forgive himself.

I agree. Obviously it's a great trade for both teams, but I think that if both players play to their potential, then Ottawa wins this deal hands down. I too would rather have Heatley over Hossa and if Dany can find his game again, (which I think he will) then the Sens have just made a really good trade that very well might push them over the hump this coming spring.

[Deleted]

mrbozo said:

mattdhf said:

Smoly hokes! Croly hap!

How many times do we have to face the Sens this year...?

Only 8.

Maybe we'll outscore them.

[M. Beaux-Eaux]

mattdhf said:

mrbozo said:

Only 8.

Maybe we'll outscore them.

It's the only way to go.

[PTH]

ryan said:

Am I the only one that absoultely loves these star for star trades?

I love them too. This isn't some little 3d liner for 3d liner deal, nor a complicated deal with younger players and picks, making it hard to judge.

This is also what I'd call a "cap trade" - this trade was impossible 2 years ago, whereas now they're just trading the contracts of star players who will be UFAs shortly after the end of their 3 year deals, regardless.

This is also a warning to guys like Hossa who get greedy - it can mean the end of your stay where you are, so if you enjoy your current team.... be reasonable. Marian just went from being close to a Cup to being very, very far away.

[M. Beaux-Eaux]

pth said:

This is also a warning to guys like Hossa who get greedy - it can mean the end of your stay where you are, so if you enjoy your current team.... be reasonable. Marian just went from being close to a Cup to being very, very far away.

José can you see?

[PTH]

mrbozo said:

José can you see?

Absolutely. If I were Bob Gainey, I'd seriously consider signing Theo and then trading him. I'd actually right now be looking around (very, very discreetly) for potentially interested teams.

I know Colorado was interested a while back, but with their Cap issues I can't see that happening, they don't have any large salaries to send back to stay below 39 million.