Boston being kicked around as a possible new home for Dany Heatley

by Stanley Cup of Chowder on Jun 14, 2009 9:50 PM EDT

Allen Panzeri's piece in this morning's Ottawa Citizen mentions that several agents have speculated that the Bruins could be one of the suitors for Dany Heatley's services. The Ottawa Senators' left winger has asked to be dealt this off-season. Heatley still has four years left on his contract ($8 million each of the next three seasons and $6 million in '12-'13), so the Bruins would need to shuffle around some salaries to find some cap size.

Panzeri speculates that a deal to Boston would have to include both Phil Kessel and Patrice Bergeron. This seems like a steep price to pay considering Kessel scored 36 goals this season and Bergeron is starting to look like his old self again. On the other hand, if the Bruins can't re-sign Kessel in the next few weeks, they need to get something of value for the RFA in return. Renuiting Heatley with former Thrashers linemate Marc Savard and Sens teammate Zdeno Chara might be a good fit. Dany Heatley has been a consistent performer over the course of his NHL career, who can be counted on to be a 40 goal scorer. The probability of Kessel repeating his contract year performance or Bergeron returning to form remains to be seen.

While I would like to see Heatley in Black & Gold, I don't want to see Peter Chiarelli overpay for one of "his guys" like he has in the past, but this hypothetical dealing appears to be just that: hypothetical. I seriously doubt that the Bruins will deal for Heatley because neither the B's nor the Sens want to make a deal of this magnitude within the division. Chances are that Heatley will be traded to a contender in the Western Conference.

Poll

Considering the current situation the Bruins are in, would you trade Patrice Bergeron and Phil Kessel if you could get Dany Heatley in return?

Yes

237 votes

No

493 votes

730 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

This would be a very interesting move.

And I really do feel that Boston would come to like it. But, that is a lot of salary to take on. I have to say, I know that Patrice is a fan favorite, and he had that dust up with Gorges, and he had that nice stick in the OT game in early April, but if you had to make a GM decision, do you see him recovering and getting back to 30 goals?

As you say, hypothetical, and a division move that big? Unlikely, but I do like it on the surface, if Phil stays stubborn.

by 13_Legion on Jun 15, 2009 9:55 AM EDT reply actions

Please no! Please no! Please no! This is not the type of individual we need in our locker room. After what happened in Atlanta let some other team support this loser! We are just starting to build something here in Boston, lets not diminish it with this addition.

by metrohockey on Jun 15, 2009 11:43 AM EDT reply actions

Now, you say please no......

Are you saying the car accident makes him unworthy to play for Boston?

You’re opinion I suppose.

Though, my cousin worked for years with the Thrashers, and he was quite concerned when we signed Savard, as he said that management found him to be a big issue.

Well, that’s come to nothing.

Unless you have standards like this for every sports team in the area, I don’t think you can just lump Heatley alone.

by 13_Legion on Jun 15, 2009 11:56 AM EDT up reply actions

I think he has grown up a lot since then. I think an event like that probably makes you mature a little faster. It really isn’t fair to label him as a clubhouse cancer because of a mistake that he made when he was 22 years old. I can only imagine the guilt that he must deal with everyday of his life and a don’t fault him for needing a change of scenery away from Atlanta after that.

Stanley Cup of Chowder: A Hearty Serving of Hockey in The Hub

by Stanley Cup of Chowder on Jun 15, 2009 12:06 PM EDT up reply actions

Yes it is just my opinion. Not trying to start a war. I think the actions people take say alot about their character and FOR ME, character counts. I think ALL SPORTS need to raise their character level a notch or two and when they do, yes some people will be left behind. Heatly may be a good hockey player but FOR ME, he doesn’t measure up in the character department.

by metrohockey on Jun 15, 2009 1:04 PM EDT reply actions

Let me get this straight. Fans complain about Kessel’s game being soft and one-dimensional, and they want a guy who plays even softer and more one-dimensionally? At THAT cost?

Break out the white coat for Chiarelli if he even considers this deal. Not going to happen anyway – it’s an Ottawa reporter’s fantasy, with zero basis in fact. Citing unidentified agents as sources? WTF? It is indeed the silly season.

And I don’t know where this reporter gets the idea that negotiations are difficult with Kessel. According to Kessel’s agent (imagine that, a direct quote from a named source), they just begain negotiations last week and Kessel’s first priority is to stay in Boston. I have yet to see a credible source saying what Kessel is “demanding.” It’s all speculation, but I suppose if it’s repeated often enough, speculation becomes accepted as fact.
.

by CharMM on Jun 15, 2009 1:24 PM EDT reply actions

Kessel is WAY softer than Heatley. Kessel had 6 hits last year! 6! Heatley had 87.

It seems like Kessel wants more money than the Bruins are able to offer, but who knows what will happen. If a deal can’t be reached, the B’s need to get some value in return for him.

Stanley Cup of Chowder: A Hearty Serving of Hockey in The Hub

by Stanley Cup of Chowder on Jun 15, 2009 4:29 PM EDT up reply actions

Kessel had six hits last year? Who compiled that stat, Kevin Dupont?

“It seems like Kessel wants more money than the Bruins are able to offer”? Source, please?

by CharMM on Jun 15, 2009 4:52 PM EDT reply actions

That’s the official stat for hits for Kessel. I know hits aren’t the most accurately compiled stat but that is stil ridiculous. http://www.nhl.com/ice/playerstats.htm?fetchKey=20092BOSSASAll&sort=gamesPlayed&viewName=rtssPlayerStats

There is no source. That is just my opinion based on what I have read so far. The B’s are right against the cap right now and I think Kessel probably wants more than they can afford to offer him right now. I’m guessing that he will want more than what Krejci got.

Stanley Cup of Chowder: A Hearty Serving of Hockey in The Hub

by Stanley Cup of Chowder on Jun 15, 2009 5:06 PM EDT up reply actions

That is ridiculous, because it’s obviously incorrect. Please. I’ve been to games where a player has had hits all over the place, and was “officially credited” with zero. Nobody who takes hockey seriously should pay any attention to that stat.

by CharMM on Jun 16, 2009 9:30 AM EDT up reply actions

Alright guru.

by 13_Legion on Jun 16, 2009 9:39 AM EDT up reply actions

While their are obvious flaws in the compiling of statistics for hits, it still shows that Heatley is a far more physical player than Kessel. He may have had a few more hits than that, but not many.

Stanley Cup of Chowder: A Hearty Serving of Hockey in The Hub

by Stanley Cup of Chowder on Jun 16, 2009 11:10 AM EDT up reply actions

So you feel that Kessel will by happy with the same money as David K?

People will always buy premium for the goal scorers, and Kessel knows this.

by 13_Legion on Jun 16, 2009 9:39 AM EDT up reply actions

Don't know whether this is above or below the belt...

… but Allen Panzeri is a terrible sports-writer dating back 25 years to his days at the Edmonton Journal. I was under the impression he was writing editorials at the Ottawa Citizen. Did they lay off their Senators’ beat guy and hand Panzeri the job of filling the space between ads for the summer?

I expect fans to be deluded enough to think 29 other teams are lining up to take their problems off their teams’ hands. But aren’t journalists supposed to be smarter? Why would you trade two Top 6 forwards for a problem child?

Add in the fact that the Bruins already have cap trouble, how does anybody figure they could take on Heatley?

Neither the math nor the logic stand up to scrutiny. Jeebus, I could invent more credible trade rumours from my fantasy hockey team. Can I get paid $90K a year (oops, sorry, $85,500 after they take a 5% haircut) to make stuff up about hockey?

by garth the hoser on Jun 15, 2009 5:18 PM EDT reply actions

I don’t see this happening either for many reasons. I just needed something to write about and I wanted to get my reader’s opinions.

Stanley Cup of Chowder: A Hearty Serving of Hockey in The Hub

by Stanley Cup of Chowder on Jun 15, 2009 5:30 PM EDT up reply actions

Two Top 6?

If you assume Patrice is coming back 100%.

That’s another part of this though, why would anyone take him if they think he’s one hit from being out of the league?

by 13_Legion on Jun 16, 2009 9:41 AM EDT up reply actions

If anyone is searching for a source, and not speculation, here it is, from the horse’s mouth:

Later, asked about that published report that Kessel was seeking a contract worth $5 million a year – which, by the way, would price him right out of the Bruins’ market, unless they unloaded a major salary to compensate — the 21-year-old forward chuckled.

"No, that’s false," he said. "I don’t know where that gets reported from. I want to be a Bruin, so we’ll see what happens."

http://www.telegram.com/article/20090617/NEWS/906170409/1009/SPORTS

by CharMM on Jun 17, 2009 9:23 AM EDT reply actions

Good ol' T&G

Glad to hear that, there’s still going to be a good deal of negotiation. Thomas’ deal is going to make it all tougher.

by 13_Legion on Jun 18, 2009 9:20 AM EDT up reply actions

The negotiations are still going on. What else is he going to say? “Yeah, I have asked for way more money than the Bruins can give me based on the current cap situation. I doubt I’ll ever play another game for the B’s. They better trade me to a contender.”

Stanley Cup of Chowder: A Hearty Serving of Hockey in The Hub

by Stanley Cup of Chowder on Jun 19, 2009 2:04 PM EDT up reply actions