If anyone was worried that the economy would make this a dull off season, the Ottawa Senators did everything they could to absolve that notion.
Ok its completely unfair to put this on the entire Senators organization, but the blame can certainly be placed on two people, Dany Heatley for acting like a 12 year old on her period and Bryan Murray for acting like her douchebag ex-boyfriend who pretends to want the best for her.
Dany Heatley signed a six year deal for 7.5 million per last offseason to keep him in Ottawa long term, along with a no trade clause. He desides to throw a hissy fit when a rookie coach demanded a better effort from him and transofrmed what should have been a fart in the wind annoyance into one of the greatest off season soap operas we've seen the Pronger saga back in 2006 (aside: The Oilers were involved in both of these episodes, how fucked up is that?)
As far as what we've heard through the media, this is how everything transpired.
-Heatley is pissed off at coach, demands trade, gives list of teams he can be traded to (Oilers were not on that list)
- Murray meets with a few GM's at the draft, has a long talk with Glen Sather.
- Rumblings that Rangers are ready to acquire Heatley, need cap space to do it
- Rangers pull a miracle out of their collective asses and trade Scott Gomez to Montreal.
At this point, one would think that Heatley to NY would be a lock right? One of the Rangers most reputable beat writers even made an announcement that the Rangers would be acquirng Heatley later that night (after Gomez was moved.) Anyone who knows Glen Sather knows that if he can, he will try to win a trade 1,000,000,000,000,000-1. Senators and Rangers have everything worked out except Murray insists that the Rangers add Brandon Dubinsky in the deal, Sather isn't budging - Who will blink first?
Murray gets a call from Edmonton, Kevin Lowe offers him a better deal, Murray is intrigued.
This wouldn't be a Soap Opera with out a love triangle.
Commercial Break.
If I see that commercial one more time, bad things are going to happen. But anyway, here is where we left off.
- Here comes seabiscuit! The Edmonton Oilers enter the picture, offering Dustin Penner, Ladislav Smid and a personal favorite, Andrew Cogliano. Murray prefers this package more than the alleged Rangers one (Which was apparently Roszival, Zherdev and prospect Bobby Sanguinetti.) Murray accepts the deal! The Saga is OVER!
Not so fast...
I bolded No Trade Clause above because that is the thing that dropped the hammer on this whole deal. Dany Heatley had given Murray a list of teams that he would accept a trade to - The Rangers were on that list (and rumored to be at the very top of it) and the Oilers...
No where to be found.
-Murray brings the deal to the attention of Dany Heatley, he has no intention of going to Edmonton. At this point everyone in the Senators orginization wants him out, including former linemate Jason Spezza. Heater knows this and decides to sleep on it.
- Day 2 begins, no progress. We're hearing a bunch of different stuff. Day goes on, no news. Eklund reports he nixes the trade, I think hes going to Edmonton, Eklund says hes going to Edmonton, I think he nixes the trade. Eklund says...
Wait... Why the hell was I listening to Eklund?
- Midnight looms and still no word. The tension is building, most of Canada is already tired of this story and just want it to be over. Heater didn't oblige, he nixed the deal....
And thats how Dany Heatley offically became the most hated man in Canada.
Now Heater is deserving of a lot of the hate hes been getting, but How Bryan Murray gets a break here is beyond me. Here you have a GM who fielded an offer from a team that Heatley did NOT have on his list of teams hed accept a trade to, went through with the deal and expected it to all work out. I know that Heater wants out of Ottawa, but he has the right to choose where he wants to go since MURRAY'S DUMB ASS GAVE HIM THE NTC! The fact that Heatley even considered the move says something to me (that Ottawa is a fucking shit show right now.) Murray pretty much ruined what ever chance he had at getting back a reasonable deal for Heatley, and I'm going to laugh when he gets back a modest return for Heatley...
Roszival, Zherdev and a 2nd round pick, you heard it here first! (e5)
Up next: Episode two, because you know this shit isn't over.
