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Post by Zoom Waffles on Sept 12, 2009 14:42:53 GMT -5
Heatley and a 5th rounder for Michalek, Cheechoo, and a 2nd rounder.
Ottawa got pretty decent value for him, although they're going to be hurtin a bit on LW, imo.
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Post by Zipper14 on Sept 12, 2009 15:27:24 GMT -5
I like this deal a lot better than the Edmonton deal.
However, the Sens don't save any cap room on the deal, but I think they are under the cap with the Smith retirement.
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Post by Shredded Red on Sept 12, 2009 16:31:17 GMT -5
I think the Sen's lost out here, but I don't know how much better a return they could have gotten. Cheechoo had one good season, and has been consistently average ever since. I love Milan Michalek, but he's been a bit of a disappoint offensively. I don't think he's every played up to his potential, but who knows maybe the best's to come in Ottawa.
I'm starting to wonder if Heatley's one of those guys who's never going to fit in with any team. He played well with Alfredsson and Spezza, but who wouldn't? I imagine he'll put up great numbers with Thornton as well. Seems like the Sharks are about as stacked as some of the pre-lockout teams right now (Marleau, Thorton, Blake, Boyle, Heatley, Nabokov) but their depth drops off pretty bad, and they're going to be missing some of the tenacity they've had in the past.
Too bad Ottawa had to let Heater go without getting a big star back in return.
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Post by Wolfpack on Sept 12, 2009 21:53:35 GMT -5
As a Shark fan I'll take this trade any day. As they say, the team that gets the best player wins the deal. Although I do think the Sens got good value for being so desperate.
Cheechoo: I love this guy. He has one gear and that's full speed. He is all heart and really understands the game. Downside is that he is not a very good skater. He cannot create his own opportunities. He is great at finding the open spots but he needs a play maker to pass it to him. And he's got a very good, quick release on his shot. He's WAY over paid at $3.5M. Sad to see him go but he's just not a fit for McLellan's up tempo style. Pretty much a salary dump at this point.
Michalek: When anyone talks about Michalek they always mention potential first. He's fast as hell and has always put up decent numbers. Many Shark fans expected big things out of him this year under McLellan's system. He seemed like the perfect fit. But it just didn't happen. He's a solid 2nd line wing and a weak first liner. Maybe he puts it all together at some point, but if you can only put up 57 points playing for McLellan, you're probably not going to do much more than that any where else.
Heatley: Excited to see him play with Thornton. But I view this as giving a Ferrari more horsepower. The Sharks don't need more scoring. They need some leaders with heart. Marleau and Thornton are great hockey players, but they are not leaders. My guess is that Heatley is not a leader either. The Sharks are still built for the regular season, not the playoffs. Where's Dougie Gilmour when you need him.
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Post by The Hockey Hitman on Sept 14, 2009 2:26:47 GMT -5
Overall, its the best deal that Ottawa could get so its a win-win for both teams. It would have been season suicide keeping Heatley in the mix. He gets a young, bonafide top six winger who is better defensively than Heatley and another top 9 winger, an overpaid one as Wolfpack suggested above but still a solid National Hockey League player.
Milan Michalek I think will prove to be a classic example of a guy who just needed a change of scenery. I wouldn't be surprised to see him finally reach his high scoring potential in Ottawa.
Heatley will probably go on to score 50 goals again in San Jose. Hopefully for the Sharks injuries don't hit them as they've lost much depth this summer, gone are Grier, Moen, Roenick, Kaspar, Goc, Plihal, Lukowich, Ehrhoff and of course Michalek and Cheechoo. The only new faces besides Heatley will be 4th liners Helminen, Ortmeyer and Scott Nichol.
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