Dany Heatley Wish List Includes Seven Teams

According to Sensbuzz, Dany Heatley has submitted a list consisting of seven teams that he would accept a trade to. Those teams are:

San Jose Sharks
Anaheim Ducks
Los Angeles Kings
Calgary Flames
Vancouver Canucks
Dallas Stars
Pittsburgh Penguins

Some quick observations about the list:

• The Phoenix Coyotes were the only Pacific division team left off of the list. Do you blame Heatley for leaving them off?
• To nobody’s surprise, there are no teams within Northeast division, confirming the reluctance to trade within the same division as the Senators.
• Heatley grew up in nearby Calgary.
• All 3 teams from California are included, even Los Angeles. So much for Heatley only accepting a trade to a competitor.
• To cancel out the Kings non competitive factor, Heatley threw in the new Stanley Cup champs, even though there is almost no chance Pittsburgh makes an offer for him.

At this point, the front runner are the Los Angeles Kings. As mentioned in my previous article, they are more than willing to take on a big contract and finally compete in the tough Pacific division. Reports suggest that the Kings are set to offer Jack Johnson, Alexander Frolov, the fifth and 96th overall picks in the 2009 draft.

That is more than a fair package for Heatley. The Senators are able to strengthen their defensive core (which desperately needs improving) and get a 30 goal scorer. Granted, Frolov is no replacement to Heatley’s 50 goals, but teamed up with Jason Spezza, Frolov can potentially reach the 35-40 goal mark.

The only thing that would worry me is that Jack Johnson has barely been in the league and he has already been traded once and almost traded again. Reports claim that his father runs a really tight ship regarding Jack’s role on the team and his ice time.

Most importantly, the Senators get a top five pick in this year’s draft, which is very top heavy. They could potentially get their pick of Evander Kane, Magnus Svensson Pajaarvi, or Brayden Schenn, who would help solidify a mediocre farm system.

The second best rumored offer is from the San Jose Sharks, who are willing to part with Milan Michalek, Marc Edouard Vlasic, and Riley Armstrong. This is a nice deal for the Senators.

Michalek is a proven goal scorer and is still only 24 and is entering his prime. Vlasic could be the key piece of this deal, based on Ottawa’s need for defense. Vlasic is a proven NHL defenseman with a big body and can also quarterback the powerplay.

However, adding Heatley’s contract to Thornton, Marleau, Nabokov, Boyle and potentially Blake is difficult to envision. Heck, even Cheechoo is making $3.5 million, which is a contract t