Dany Heatley to the San Jose Sharks on Saturday, ending a lingering dispute with
a player who felt he was not being used properly by the team.
The Sharks gave up Milan Michalek, Jonathan Cheechoo and
a second-round pick. Ottawa also sent a fifth-round pick to San Jose.
The trade on the opening day of training camp ends a
clash that has overshadowed the Senators in recent months.
"I talked to Dany yesterday and he was adamant that he
wanted to be moved and we felt based on that, more than anything, that we should
get the value that we could get for him and move on," Senators general manager
Brian Murray said on Saturday.
The 28-year-old Heatley said he wanted out of Ottawa
because he wasn't being used properly. But he angered fans when he refused to
waive a no-trade clause to move to Edmonton.
"I don't think I did anything wrong asking for a trade,"
Heatley said on Saturday. "I had my reasons and if people think different of me
that's fine, but I feel I've done nothing wrong and I'm happy to move on."
Heatley initially cited his diminishing role with the
Senators, particularly since Cory Clouston took over as coach in February after
Craig Hartsburg was fired, as the reason for his trade request. He's since
hinted there may be more to the story.
"There's some personal things that (happened) and I feel
a change was the best thing," he said.
"I want to thank the city of Ottawa, I had a great four
years here, but now the organization and myself can move on. I'm excited to be a
Shark."
San Jose beefs up its offense by acquiring the former
50-goal scorer. Heatley had 39 goals and 33 assists last season.
Heatley has 260 goals and 283 assists in 507 regular
games, split between Atlanta and Ottawa. He is due to make $8 million this year.
Michalek, a 24-year-old winger from the Czech Republic,
had 23 goals and 24 assists in 77 games last season. His salary is $3.5 million
this year.
The 29-year-old Cheechoo, a hard-nosed winger, had 12
goals and 17 assists last season. He's due to make $3.5 million this season.