It's been a couple days since Dany Heatley was shipped from Ottawa to San Jose, so we've all had a little time to take a step back and look a the trade. Today, some of the best and brightest in the two blogospheres involved have taken the time to share their views on the trade with us. I have an odd feeling that the Senators' bloggers feel a lot of relief now that the trade has been mad but, to find out, follow me through the jump.First to chime in on the trade are the Sharks bloggers.
"I've got a lot of great Sharks memories associated with Jonathan Cheechoo, which is why it's kinda sad to see him go. He's had groin/abdomen injuries over the past few years, and that's limited his ability to get into open spaces or drive the net for rebounds. You'd get these flashes of his wicked one timer or his great hands, but during the times he was healthy, Todd McLellan would put him on the third line because Devin Setoguchi was playing so well. So losing Cheech doesn't take too much out of the Sharks lineup.
As for Milan Michalek, well, the worst part about losing him is I won't get to make fun of my friend's Michalek jersey anymore (we teased him that he should have put "Trade Bait" on it)...
I still worry about Heatley's work ethic. McLellan's system requires a lot of hustle and communication and there's not a lot of room for freelancing. I hope Doug Wilson sees something that we didn't, and maybe it'll be up to Dan Boyle and Rob Blake to put Heatley in his place. I get the feeling that the deal will either be sheer genius or a horrible disaster: sure, you'd rather have Heatley's talent than Michalek's in your lineup but that contract could be a giant albatross for years to come."
- Mike Chen, Mike Chen's Hockey Blog
"The Sharks add a potential 50 goal 100 point player without having to give up former captain Patrick Marleau or a first round draft pick for the third straight season. Heatley could be put on the top line with Joe Thornton and Devin Setoguchi, with Marleau sliding down to a second line with Joe Pavelski and Ryane Clowe. For the Sharks, scoring is not going to be a problem in 2009-10. They will have to focus on maintaining their intensity over an 82 game schedule, and developing a new tougher identity.
Heatley cited a diminished role in Ottawa as the reason for demanding a trade. In San Jose, regular season success is almost a little bit of an albatross. Only performance in the postseason matters. The Sharks have had problems responding to physical challenges, locking down leads late in games, playing with intensity from the drop of the puck, and scoring goals in clutch situations. If Heatley is looking for a role to fill, that is what San Jose needs from its best players in the playoffs. That, and the occasional fight with an Anaheim Duck."
- Jon Swenson, Sharkspage
And now, their counterparts in Ottawa who, well, are pretty happy about the whole thing.
"I'd be an absolute, brain dead, vegetative idiot to think that the Sens "won" this trade in the conventional sense. Not that The Bryan had much of a choice, but on paper, without a Marleau or even a couple of solid prospects coming the other way with Cheechoo and/or Michalek (a first round pick would have been nice too) this was an outright mugging by Doug Wilson. Or...was it?
Would Ottawa be a better team if Heater had been forced to stay? Maybe...for the first three months of the season. But once the Olympic roster was announced in December, what would stop him from pulling the chute? A dressing room cancer is easier to take if he's scoring 50 goals. A cancer who no longer has any motivation to play somewhere he doesn't want to be? Not so much. At least this way, the Sens are now a legitimate threat over two lines (something we haven't been since...well...forever) and most important, we FINALLY get a drama free room.
Bottom line: The boil has been lanced, we got a couple of pretty good guys in return, and we can now all forget that Dany Heatley was ever an Ottawa Senator. I'd like that. I'd like that very much."
- Paul, Five for Smiting
"The most positive thing about the Heatley trade, at least initially, is getting rid of the distraction. The past two seasons have been torture for Sens fans, and it's going to be nice to go into one with a bit of optimism. The return wasn't market value, but I don't think it ever would have been; the timing for this trade demand could not have been worse, and I think Bryan Murray did the best he could with the hand he was dealt. Michalek and Cheechoo both have reasons to like coming to Ottawa (Cheechoo's closer to his home, and Michalek's closer to his girlfriend's hometown), and both have plenty to prove. The salary flexibility should put the Senators' in a better position, too, although they definitely need to get some offensive talent in their farm system. Bottom line, the Senators should be better than they were last season, but they'll have to use the flexibility wrought by this trade effectively to ensure it's not debilitating in the long-term."
- Peter Raaymakers, Silver Seven Sens
Suspected PayPal Hackers Seek Deal To Stay Out Of Prison
TV SoundOff: Sunday Talking Heads
Issa Comes To White House Rescue
What Went Wrong? Gallup Shares New Details
Radio Host Makes Shocking Claim About Shooting Hillary Clinton
Report: Iran Executes Men Convicted Of Spying For U.S., Israel
College Student Accidentally Killed During 'Crime Of Opportunity'
Republican Warns Of Modern-Day Hitler Invasion
Gunmen Kill Prominent Female Politician In Pakistan
Pope: 'If Banks Fail It is A Tragedy, If People Die Of Hunger It's Nothing'
Did Broken Rail Cause Commuter Train Crash?
WATCH: Oxbow Dominates Preakness, Dashes Triple Crown Hopes
LA Doctor Gets 14 Years For This Horrible Promise
How Kidnapping Suspect Passes Time Behind Bars
Up To 60 Injured After Car Drives Into Virginia Parade
Colbert At U.Va.: You Owe The Previous Generation Nothing
Bill Maher Spoofs Tea Party Tax Forms
Targets In IRS Scandal Make Little Sense
Taxed More Than Their Income?
New Step Taken In Ricin Letters Case
New York Man Killed In Alleged Anti-Gay Hate Crime
These American Companies Refused To Sign The Bangladesh Safety Accord
Is Climate Change Increasing Tornado Intensity?
Jindal Makes Bold Claim Over Tea Party Targeting Scandal
North Korea Tests Missiles
VITO TO RESIGN MONDAY
Michael Kinsley Feels Your Pain, Middle Class, But Pain Makes You Beautiful
Al Qaeda Militants Killed In Drone Strike In Yemen
Obama Appears Unscathed By Unfolding Scandals
French President Signs Gay Marriage Into Law
Twitter Will Damn Your Soul, Religious Cleric Says
