So Dany doesn't want to play in Ottawa. He lets everyone who will listen (through his people of course) that he MUST be traded because he simply can't perform in the city that signed him to 7.5 million dollars a season because the coach just expects too much from him. I mean, He expects him to perform and be a leader as though he was some 7+ million dollar a year player...

Let's try this from a different angle: The Edmonton Oilers are an organization with a proud history of winning and have some of the most loyal fans in the league. It's a place where a hockey player is truly treated like royalty and no-one outside of Edmonton is as aware of how many Stanley Cups they've won then a Calgarian. The Oilers had some rough times in the 90's much like their rivals to the south, but they've always managed to ice competative teams and still play an exciting brand of hockey on what is still one of the best, if not the best, surfaces in the NHL. Even though the cities fight like brothers, you still have to respect the desire to win of our brothers to the North and they have a young nucleus where Dany could slide right in and help lead the team back to the post-season... Oh wait, they look like they might want Dany to display some leadership as well...

So what we're really talking about is a player that wants face of the franchise paycheques but with interchangeable fourth-liner pressure. Pay me the most, but don't expect me to shoulder any responsibility. Sounds odd. Doesn't seem to add up does it?

Now I get that he doesn't like the coach, or the pressure, or the selection of sushi restaurants in the country's capital if that's what it is. I understand that for whatever reasons he wants to leave and that to the fans they shouldn't matter. And they wouldn't have had he done this correctly. Had Dany Heatly simply informed the organization that he wanted out without making it public, sure there would be whisperings of it, but it wouldn't have put the team over a barrel. It wouldn't have disrespected the organization and the manager and painted them into a corner.

They agreed to what they thought was the best deal they could get. This of course was VERY disrespectful to Mr. Heatley as he didn't want any part of Edmonton. I mean seriously, doesn't the organization owe Dany some respect? I mean look at how he's decided to handle this matter...

Again, we'll try this from another angle...

Just like some players want to play in some cities and situations, there are some that are conversely as unappealing. Dany doesn't want to go to Edmonton. But what if all the teams that would take him are offering things like Mark Messier's old sharpening stone or Maybe the puck bag that the triple crown line used to cool their warm-up pucks. I mean, at some point he needs to realize that this isn't a situation where as long as you stick your bottom lip out far enough, granny will feel guilty and buy you an ice-cream cone.

Respect goes both ways. Right now Dany is banking on the fact that other teams are so interested in his service that he'll get moved to a team of his choosing. Right now maybe Eugene Melnyk is contemplating whether or not he'd got enough bankroll to send Dany to Binghamton and teach him a lesson about who runs the team...

Have a great day!
shaune.vetter@hockeybuzz.com

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