Heatley Trade and Other News

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Dany Heatley is now a member of the San Jose Sharks. The Sharks got a pretty good deal too, though, which is a statement that makes sense if you've been following along. San Jose managed to send back a near-equal amount of salary (they got about $0.2 million more in Heatley), and they only had to give up Jonathan Cheechoo and Milan Michalek to get him. (SJ also gave up a 2010 2nd Rounder in exchange for a 5th Rounder.) Michalek and Cheechoo bring grit and determination to Ottawa, as well as offensive potential. Cheechoo certainly isn't the 50-goal scorer he once was (with emphasis on the once), but Michalek is a budding star. As for the Sharks, one thing is certain – they just became an even bigger threat to capture the Pacific, and maybe even the President’s Trophy again. Interestingly, the last team to win the President’s Trophy in back-to-back seasons also won the Stanley Cup the second time around. Can you name the team? [...]

NHL Recent Rundown:

The Vancouver Canucks found several replacements for Mattias Ohlund - they traded with San Jose for Christian Ehrhoff and Brad Lukowich, as well as signing UFA Mathieu Schneider. For the Sharks, who got back a couple minor leaguers, the deal was seen as little more than a salary dump. For the Canucks, however, the move makes their defence corps able to stand up to the re-tooled blueline of their biggest division rivals, the Calgary Flames. Vancouver also locked up star netminder Roberto Luongo, signing him to a 12-year deal worth $64 million.

The Tampa Bay Lightning signed Alex Tanguay to a one-year deal. With Tanguay on the left side of Vincent Lecavalier, and St. Louis on the right, the Lightning have an awesome first line - and they're all from Quebec.

Peter Forsberg was included on Team Sweden's 2010 Olympic roster invitation list. He plans to play this season for Modo of the Swedish Elite League, but a strong Olympic performance (and the ability to stay healthy) could mean an NHL comeback.

As the Pittsburgh Penguins await the construction of the new arena they'll be using in 2010-11, The Consol Energy Center, a couple of other teams are making pushes for new building as well. The New York Islanders are trying to get their Lighthouse project passed, and the ownership of the Edmonton Oilers have also announced plans to purchase land and build.

The Oilers also signed unrestricted free agent Mike Comrie to a one-year deal. Comrie, an underachiever last season for the New York Islanders, was traded at the deadline to the Ottawa Senators where he managed only seven points in 22 games. He's a touchy player - tons of scoring upside, but a genuine knack for inconsistency.

Eastern Conference rankings will be up by Tuesday, with the Western Conference following shortly thereafter.

Don't forget to follow on Twitter for quick NHL updates! LindHockeyFile on Twitter

- Josh Lind

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Christmas in July!

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Free agent frenzy got off to a quick start Wednesday, July 1st, but there was also some movement the day before. The Montreal Canadiens made a big trade with the New York Rangers that sent center Scott Gomez to the Habs, and winger Christopher Higgins to the Blueshirts. Some other players were involved in the deal, most notably prospect Ryan McDonagh who also ended up in New York. Gomez is a proven set-up man; he’s had 40+ assists in all but one of his seasons, and has registered 50+ four times. Higgins has reached the 20-goal plateau in three of his four seasons, and probably would have reached 20 last season had he not missed 25 games due to groin and hand injuries [...]

Also Tuesday, the Calgary Flames got defenseman Jay Bouwmeester signed to a five-year deal, after trading for his rights from the Florida Panthers on draft day. The deal gives the Flames one of the best defensive corps in the league.

Come Wednesday, and the Montreal Canadiens were even more active. They signed Brian Gionta who played very well with Scott Gomez in New Jersey, winning a Stanley Cup together in 2002/03. It will be interesting, to say the least, to see what they can do together in Montreal. The Habs also grabbed another high scoring forward, Mike Cammalleri, and inked him to a five-year deal worth $30 million. But they didn’t stop there; GM Bob Gainey also picked up defensemen Jaroslav Spacek and Hal Gill. The Canadiens have tended qualifying returning offers to Tomas Plekanec, Matt D’Agostini, Kyle Chipchura, and Guillaume Latendresse, but it looks as if Alexei Kovalev, Alex Tanguay, Saku Koivu, and Matthieu Schneider are all on their way out.

The Chicago Blackhawks also made big news, signing prolific goal scorer Marian Hossa to a huge 12-year deal. Some have expressed concern that the Hawks will be in trouble next year when they have to sign Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, especially with the salary cap set to go down, but it looks as if Chicago is in it to try and win the Stanley Cup this season, regardless of the obstacles. With the roster they have now, they look to be in a position to do just that. If the Blackhawks want to keep Hossa, Kane, and Toews for 2010/11, I’d assume the player that will have to go would be defenseman Brain Campbell and his $7 million salary…
The Hawks also picked up forwards Tomas Kopecky and John Madden, who are each capable of being 20-goal scorers.

The Atlanta Thrashers signed the commanding forward Nik Antropov to a four-year deal, and also picked up another ex-Leaf, Pavel Kubina, in a trade that sent Garnet Exelby and Colin Stuart to Toronto. Antropov should be a nice fit with star winger Ilya Kovalchuk. With Brian Little, Tobias Enstrom, Zach Bogosian, and this year’s pick Evander Kane, Atlanta has a lot of promising youth to work with as well. Whether or not it will be enough to turn last year’s disappointing season around, however remains to be seen.

The New York Rangers signed flashy winger Marian Gaborik to a five-year deal, with the hope that he stays healthier than he did in Minnesota. For their part, the Wild signed another injury-prone player in Martin Havlat, inking him to a six-year deal. Havlat played in 81 games last season with the Blackhawks – his longest season yet – here’s to hoping he stays healthy as well!

The Washington Capitals signed Mike Knuble, a perennial 20-goal scorer over the last seven years, who’s also reached 30 twice. Knuble is tough in the corners and should be a great playmaker for two-time league MVP Alexander Ovechkin.

The Tampa Bay Lightning picked up defenseman Mattias Ohlund, the Phoenix Coyotes got defenseman Adrian Aucoin, and the Toronto Maple Leafs signed Mike Komisarek from the rival Montreal Canadiens.

The Edmonton Oilers and Colorado Avalanche tried to address their goaltending issues, picking up Nikolai Khabibulin and Craig Anderson respectively.

Earlier this afternoon, the Vancouver Canucks signed Mikael Samuelsson from the Red Wings. Also of note, the Sedins twins will be staying in Vancouver, as they signed five-year contracts worth $30.5 million each.

Other notable players who stayed with the same teams were Tim Thomas (Boston), Doug Weight (Islanders), Johan Franzen (Detroit), Keith Tkachuk (St. Louis), Bill Guerin (Pittsburgh), Rob Blake (San Jose), David Booth (Florida), Scott Niedermayer (Anaheim), Erik Cole (Carolina), and Mikhail Grabovski (Toronto).

- Josh Lind

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