Remember a few months back when we were all relaxed going into an offseason where we weren't going to have to put up with the never ending drama of Mats Sundin's indecision reports. Sure, he still hasn't made an official announcement as far as his future goes, but the media wised up and really couldn't care anymore.
Nope, this summer was going to be a smooth transition between hockey seasons where fans could finally concentrate on the hot sun while tuning in every now and then to keep up with the latest UFA signings and arbitration hearings.
Everything was all fine and dandy until the day Dany Heatley decided to rock the hockey world by letting it get out publicly that he wasn't all that fond of his head coach Cory Clouston, or the thought of sticking around the nation's capital any longer. Add to that the Oilers, who were prepared to put forth a package in order to save the poor guy from his "hellish prison", while simultaneously saving the Ottawa Senators from quite a predicament, themselves. The only problem was, Dany didn't exactly think things ahead too much. He didn't realize that a one-way ticket out of Ottawa might have landed him in a two-bit town like Edmonton. And thus, he chose not to put in his approval of the deal and has apparently been hiding under a rock ever since.
For weeks now, fans have had to listen to non-story after non-story, speculating as to what might happen next. And before we knew it, it was like Mats Sundin all over again. In fact, it had gotten so soap opera-like, that we were actually concerned as to whether or not Dany would be showing up at Jason Spezza's wedding... and wondering if Kevin Lowe sent roses along with his complete set of Oiler infomercial DVDs.
Heh.
You'll have to forgive my sarcasm.
This, on the day when Steve Tambellini mercifully called a press conference to announce to the fans of Edmonton, that he has officially accepted Heatley's indirect rejection of his trade offer and walk away from his futile courtship, some have begun to think that this might mark an end to this tragic chapter. Unfortunately, I would have to disagree.
The problem here, is that the Ottawa Senators remain in a corner with very few options. The decision to pick up Alexei Kovalev as insurance for when Heatley departs, has now got the team to less than $300,000 under the cap ceiling. And in the NHL, that doesn't even come close to minimum wage. Given that they still have 2 roster spots to fill (3 if you don't see Heatley being forced in), they've got absolutely no leverage for any possible deals they might have left.
We've already got a taste as to what San Jose's offer looks like. And if the Oiler's offer was Jim Balsillie, then the Sharks would have to be Jerry Reinsdorf. And remember back when Bryan Murray was talking tough the day Heatley's $4 million dollar bonus kicked in, suggesting that his asking price would only increase because of it. But really.... who was he kidding?
Now with Edmonton seemingly out of the mix, Doug Wilson would be wise to lower his offer since he now appears to be the only candidate and therefor has Murray over a barrel. Sure, Bryan could potentially bluff his way leading right into training camp, suggesting that he is is fully prepared to stand pat and force Heatley to either decide to like it and lump it, or take the Yashin route and take a hiatus from the league. But that course of action presents two problems, right off the bat.
For starters, does Bryan Murray want to chance losing his job after possibly allowing more chemistry problems creep into his club's dressing room? And even if he did have complete faith in his employers' understanding of the situation, would he be willing to make the necessary (and perhaps reluctant) player movement(s) in order to get this team back under the cap comfortably with Heatley remaining in the line up?
Until the Sens, Heatley or the Oilers make the first move this summer, I suspect that Murray's ongoing plan will be to somehow get the Oilers back in the picture in order to gain at least a little leverage in all of this. And if I happen to be right about that, this little press conference today will mean very little.
Oiler's fans will continue to put up with this nonsense until the first shoe finally drops.
No comments:
Post a Comment