This has probably been quoted to death already, but here's what the captain thinks:“It’s so surprising. I thought we were a team that had kind of turned things around and were going in the right direction. We underachieved all year...and we could see a lot of positive signs going forward — maybe try and reach the playoffs next season and go far in the playoffs. Dany, obviously, was a huge part of our success before and I thought would be going foward as well.”At least he found different words to describe how shocked and disappointed he was. It was kind of sad when Fisher, Neil, Murray and Melnyk all used more or less the same words when asked by the media. Sure, you expect a certain lack of imagination from Fisher and Neil, but Melnyk I'd expect to be a little more eloquent.
I think of all the parties involved, Alfredsson is showing the best mindset possible -- he is looking towards having Heatley in the dressing room this fall and is trying to make sure that the room will be as friendly as possible.
No word on the wires regarding Heatley going to Edmonton today, so I wonder if that is really dead. More likely it is management on both sides trying to play games with each other.
I still think the most likely scenario is that Heatley joins the team, does really well, and is traded by Christmas. While the team offensively looks great with Heatley, Kovalev, Spezza and Alfredsson, the fact is that defensively the team will still be weak. I'd look for Heatley to go to another contending team, probably in exchange for some defense.
