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Made By cole*
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
well the news came down today that i might as well pluck my eyes out and never watch hockey again, because the Leafs play the Senators 8 times this year, and the Senators have a new up and coming superstar. Dany Heatley will wear the number 15 for the nation's capital this season.But I wonder if this deal puts the Senators any further ahead than they were. Marian Hossa is an elite player in the NHL. He's a point a game player on a star studded team. Dany Heatley has a WORLD of potential, but right now, he's not a guarantee. And that's why I love what Ottawa is doing. Did they give up a lot in this deal? Absolutely. Marian Hossa is a guarantee, Heatley represents what could be. If Dany Heatley recognizes his potential, the sky is the limit. If he doesn't, he'll still be a solid, if not great NHL'er. So really, all Ottawa has done is gotten younger, given away less money, and made the future look even brighter than it already was. Next year they'll probably trade for Roberto Luongo and win the next 4 Stanley Cup's. Okay, maybe I'm being unrealisitic, but it feels like Ottawa couldn't have done better.
How many teams in this situation would have lost Hossa, or someone else for almost nothing. Instead, they've turned around and picked up a kid waiting to explode, and I personally think Heatley will make a living on Ottawa's powerplay this year, because he's got a premium shot and Alfredson will feed him pucks all night long.
So on paper, or at least in the short term, I think Atlanta is going to come out ahead. But I think that given the situation, Ottawa could not have done any better in solving their financial conundrum. The question is now only this: did Heatley sign for little enough to let Ottawa keep captain Wade Redden? I think that they got Heatley at the best possible time. He's good enough to make big bucks, but he didn't have a full NHL season after the accident to prove it, so technically, other than the World Championships two years ago, Heatley has been quiet. They signed a kid who is hungry, and who people are starting to question. I'm a Leaf fan, and I still can't believe how good this is for Ottawa. I hate to admit it, but this makes them very dangerous for some time to come. Hats off to the Sens.
As per a signing by the Mighty Ducks, I don't know what to think about Teemu Selanne. I've never been much of a fan of his, but I maintain that Brian Burke is a great GM. So we'll have to wait and see if the Finnish flash has anything left in his dash.
Previews are coming soon.......
Posted by Jon at 3:26 PM | | e-mail me