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Dany Heatley shipped to
Wild
Sharks acquire Martin Havlat
Dany Heatley's tenure in San Jose ended Sunday
night, when Sharks General Manager Doug Wilson traded him to the Minnesota Wild
in exchange for speedy forward Martin Havlat. Heatley's 64 points last season
weren't enough, making him expendable during a limited trade window that was
written into his contract. His $7.5 million contract made it a no brainer,
after he recorded a paltry three goals during the Sharks playoff run this past
spring.
After scoring 39 goals in his first season with San Jose in
2009-10, Heatley's production dipped to 26 this past season. His inability to
light the lamp during the playoffs was the biggest hole in his game. The guy
they acquired to be a sniper, was limited to 5 goals in 32 post season games
for San Jose.
The Sharks pick up almost the same offensive numbers in
Havlat, who also saves $2.5 million off the Sharks salary cap. Havlat had 22
goals and 40 assists playing for a defensive minded Wild team that ranked 2nd
to last in the western Conference in goal production.
Havlat should
have more opportunities to score with a stronger offensive supporting cast.
The deal was the second blockbuster that Wilson has made with the Wild
in as many weeks.
"When players that we have targeted become
available, you need to be able to react quickly and you also have to pay a
price in order to acquire them," said Wilson. "When we made the Brent Burns
trade, we knew we still needed to address our speed up front and we think the
acquisition of Marty does that.
The most glaring difference between
Heatley and Havlat is the disparity in speed. Havlat immediately makes the
Sharks faster. Heatley provides scoring potential, but his moody demeanor may
mean an interesting season in Minneapolis.
Both players are 30 years
old, and the similarities in statistics make the trade a peculiar one for
Minnesoata. Perhaps Wild General Manager Chuck Fletcher feels that his last
acquisition, former Shark Devin Setoguchi, needs a familiar face to bring his
anemic offense some scoring pop.
Havlat waived his no-trade clause to
join the Sharks, after missing the playoffs the past two seasons.
"I
was presented this deal today and I decided to waive the no-movement clause to
go to the Sharks," Havlat told NHL.com. "I'm very excited. It's a great team
with great players with chance to win a lot of hockey games."
It
didn't seem to be that hard a decision for Havlat.
"For hockey
players, not just for me, if your season ends April 10 it's an empty feeling.
When the real season starts, you are already sitting on your couch. I enjoy
playing in playoffs and that is why I play hockey."
Thenewest Sharks
forward has 49 career playoff points in 67 playoff games. The speedster will
get a chance to add to that total once he joins his new team. He recognizes the
opportunity that his new team brings.
"They are great team and they have great chance every
year to battle for the Stanley Cup," Havlat said. "It's very important for me
to have a chance to battle for the Cup, to just to get in the playoffs and you
never know what happens.
The deal clarifies the mystery surrounding
the presence of a no-trade clause in Heatley's contract. It wasn't clear if
Heatley maintained the clause after he waived it to join the Sharks in 2009.
His tumultuous career seemed to finally settle down when the Sharks
acquired him from Ottawa two seasons ago, but his antics this past spring in a
game that earned him a suspension for going head-hunting with his stick on a
play away from the puck.
In the end, it was Heatley's failure to
assimilate himself as a real team player that may have cost him his job. Wilson
may have overlooked all of that if Heatley delivered in the playoffs, but he
didn't. Havlat will get his chances in a few months.
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