[TCY Update 8:20] Dave Pollak: No deal has been done, and the Patty to NJ stuff? Not true, either.
[Plank Update 7:53]: On a side note- if you’re Patty do you even want to play here? In 07-08 he was all over the board and had one of his worst seasons because of trade rumors. Now he’s being left off season tickets, getting thrown into a humongous story just before training camp, getting stripped of the C… wow. If I’m me (which I am), do I want Patty to play here next year? His mental state is going to be questionable, and now you’re risked alienating him in his upcoming contract negotiations next season. Maybe this whole fiasco cracked me, but it might be better just to move him and cut your losses before he cuts and runs. It has nothing to do with his play on the ice last year, and everything to do with his head this year. He’s been dragged through the muck this entire offseason. Can he handle that? He couldn’t two years ago.
[Plank Update 7:39]: I’m not calling anything just yet, but right now it looks like this might have been an exercise in futility.
[Plank Update 7:31]: Russo from The Trib- “Two of the nhl teams rumored in the Heatley deal haven’t even talked in 2 1/2 weeks.” [link]
[Plank Update 7:25]: Darren Dreger is reporting, “Sources say there is no Heatley deal and nothing is close at this point” [link].
[Plank Update 7:20]: Dean Lombardi to Rich Hammond of Inside The Kings: “Complete bull.”
[Plank Update 7:16]: Remember that Heatley to the Oil broke as a done deal as well earlier this summer, before being denied because of him refusing to waive his NTC. There’s a precedent here for jumping the gun in regards to a Heatley deal. Just saying I guess.
[Plank Update 7:11]: Mentioned this in the comments, but it bears repeating- the Kings lose big time in this deal IF it’s true. Stoll and Frolov are solid players and cheap, and now you’re only guaranteed one year of Patty. Granted Lombardi may have some clout in a negotiation process considering he drafted Marleau and Patty may want to stay in California because of his kids and family, but there’s no guarantees in all this. I hate the potential of a Heatley deal from a salary cap and player depth standpoint, but he’s a potential 60 goal guy as mentioned earlier this summer. TCY and I will have something more concrete up later tonight, regardless of whether or not this goes down.
[Plank Update 7:07]: All three teams are now denying Heatley report. On Twitter. Not exactly as solid as hearing it from Lombardi’s mouth.
[Plank Update 6:51]: Waiting game says wait it out. Did Bucci swing for the fences and try to break the deal considering it has been the story of the summer? Or are both GM’s denying the deal initially so they can inform their players? That doesn’t make sense considering both guys had to waive their NTC’s- then again, it’s likely Heatley had San Jose on his short list and Marleau may have provided DW with one of his own as well.
[Plank Update 6:27]: Both Sharks GM Doug Wilson and Senators GM Bryan Murray denied the three-way trade when reached by ESPN.com. ESPN has also changed the title of the article to “Senators GM Murray Denies Deal” [link] I’m not sure this means anything just yet considering Buccigross doesn’t seem like the type of guy to make things up out of thin air, but it’s possible something hit a snag- Patty put his NTC to use? Who knows at this point. [H/T to Rated R Superstar for the heads up]
[Plank Update 5:55 PM]: Deal’s done. Marleau to LA, Frolov and Stoll to the Sens. Lombardi gets back the player he drafted.
[TCY Update 5:42] According to a tweet by Buccigross that was immediately deleted, the Sharks will receive Heatley, the Kings will receive Marleau, and the Senators will receive Stoll and Frolov. Sounds an awful lot like the Garrioch rumor this morning.
H/T to CTGray for helping Plank and I out while our hands were tied. It was a crazy three way for a while there. A phone three way. Uh… here’s the fanshot.
As you have probably seen, John Buccigross has tweeted that the Sharks and Ottawa will make a deal to send Heatley to the Sharks today or tomorrow.
[TCY Update 5:00] I’ve had a crazy day, and I was at the DMV when this broke. Plank is in Minnesota, and away from his computer. I have to go pick up Owen Nolan (the dog) from surgery (torn ACL). SO, needless to say, this didn’t come at the best time.
Obviously, the situation has changed since we wrote our opinions on the subject, but here are Plank and my respective takes on the situation:
TCY: Is Dany Heatley worth the headache?
I hate these rumors as much as the next, but Buccigross is about as credible as they get. I’ll update next time I can.
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