I don't know how interesting this story is to many of you in 25 or so cities, but the Dany Heatley saga has been an interesting one from the outset. And how it has been handled has also left me wondering, like a good movie, who I want to be on the side of.

This story, as I was told it, has been pieced together from 1 major source, 4 main sources, and numerous smaller sources. All of this is in the realm of rumor of course and is to the best of my knowledge the events that occurred based on what I have been told. I am sure it is not 100% exact in timeframes or circumstances, but I am fairly confident it is close enough for you to get the overview.

The Rangers and Senators were the deal, going all way the back to pretty much the moment we heard that Dany wanted out. However, despite the fact that it was basically a one horse race, Bryan Murray was doing a pretty good job at getting the Rangers to put a good deal together.

Of course, the Rangers needed a partner to clear space. (exactly where the Sharks have been for two weeks now) There was a feeling out there at the time that the Rangers would simply put Redden in the minors. That was NEVER an option. The Rangers, and Glen Sather, will not bury Redden. As of checking just minutes ago, the Rangers are excited about Redden this year and are depending on him. Redden has been working hard and very much out for redemption. I would bet he has a strong year in NY.

So with the deadline of June 30th, midnight, looming, the Rangers thought they had a deal if they could move Gomez. Of course they tried to move him to Ottawa as part of the deal, but that wasn't happening.

So meanwhile, Heatley was content and telling most folks around him that he was likely playing in NY, and very much looking forward to it. At the same time however, some in the Heatley camp were growing concerned that Bryan Murray had put too many eggs into one basket, and knowing that Sather was a bit unpredictable, were starting to explore other options.

What you need to know here is how often trade concepts are often initialized by agents. It is something that is actually a part of their job description. I can't tell you how many times I have heard an agent tell me that they are "trying to work out a deal to get their player to a better situation." Usually this involves players that are maybe healthy scratches or stuck playing in a system that doesn't suit them or they are generally unhappy, etc. It is rare that an agent would be brokering a trade like Heatley's, but the agents (and I use the plural term here) for Heatley were doing just that. Well, at least they were looking for willing suitors.

Edmonton, LA and San Jose were found to have some interest. The Heatley group was quietly trying to figure out deals but the teams kept saying that they were being told that he was going to NY and "until Bryan calls us back we need to focus on July 1."

So June 30th is going along and we all are curious how the Rangers will do it. Speculation leads that to the fact that they will bury Redden. Meanwhile, Heatley's agents, who I completely respect here, are worrying about what's going to happen with their other clients. Many of the bigger agencies will put all on hold for the big money tickets, but not these guys. It is a well oiled machine and even some players you knew would sign low money deals were getting the time of day on June 30th. By noon there appeared to be a deal, but the Rangers needed to get one more piece of the puzzle, and of course they still needed to get the cap space.

At the same time, Montreal had all but given up on Lecavalier dreams. The truth be told, both sides essentially got cold feet on the Vinny deal at the draft. Again, I can't stress enough that there was never a done deal nixed by Len Barrie. So Montreal needs a big ticket center and goes and helps the Rangers out by trading for Gomez.

That put the Heatley to the Rangers talk in the forefront and the Heatley team literally stopped everything else it was doing in the afternoon and shifted to making sure the deal was in place. The Rangers had received the piece they needed for Ottawa as well in a young d-man.

The Rangers then turn to Murray who is again demanding a center. He as always wanted Rozsival to be in the deal, but the Rangers have always had that as a deal breaker essentially. We can speculate that Murray probably feels that he has the Rangers at this point because the Gomez deal has been made. The irony here is the Gomez deal in and of itself is a great trade. The Rangers would be wise to just hold that cap space they created, but no one believes that Sather will last long with some room on the credit card, and there is a need in NY for some pizazz.

The negotiations start to get uglier when Dubinsky is thrown back into the mix. Murray goes and looks for some leverage and starts to talk to Edmonton. Heatley doesn't say flat out say no immediately to the possibility, possibly because he is OK with Murray trying to just get leverage. However, the Oilers and Sens work out a deal pretty quickly. Not the deal that would eventually be struck. A completely different deal is put together containing one of the Oilers bigger D-men. Faced with the question of if he will go, Heatley (and I believe the Oilers as well) both say no.

The Rangers find out and once again hope to get something done and essentially tell Murray that there is nothing else to do and he is going to have to pay that money at midnight. Murray stands pat. Heatley grows frustrated and someone in Heatley's camp believes that Edmonton is still an option. With the Rangers fading, Heatley gets mad at Murray for not exploring other options all along and while he won't dismiss Edmonton completely, wants Murray to talk to the other teams on his list. Murray does talk to several but no one is willing to make such a deal on the eve of July 1. Most teams are far more conservative.

Edmonton however is really going for it. They take out the Dman and put together the deal. This deal is leaked (according to several sources) by Ottawa and the names get out. The reasoning here that was being speculated was that Murray wanted to show Sather just how good of a deal he could indeed get. It backfires however, as Sather sees this leak as dirty poker and begins talking to Gaborik.

I am not the biggest Sather fan as a GM, but the guy is unbelievably loyal to his roots in Edmonton. He truly saw this as a personal affront to Lowe and his former team.

Meanwhile word gets out, through someone in the Heatley camp, that he will agree to go to Edmonton. Word is that there is one more deal that needs to made first...Not sure if Edmonton or Ottawa needed to make the deal.

The Oilers want to meet him face to face and Heatley agrees. The sides meet, and it comes out that Heatley feels the signing bonus should not have to be paid by the Oilers. It was a deal made by the Sens. Yet he doesn't close the door completely. Only saying he needs more time.

Heatley is furious that Murray didn't talk to more teams, but is impressed by the Oilers pitch.

Midnight approaches and word comes down from the NHL that as long as the two sides get a deal done on July 1 they money can be paid by Edmonton.

July 1 hits and not much happens as the early swarm takes place.

With Sather refusing to talk to Murray, the Heatley side continues to hope that something can get resolved. Finally within a matter of minutes Gaborik is signed by the Rangers and it is leaked that Heatley is OK going to Edmonton.

Once again Heatley corrects that, saying more time is needed...

and there we sit...

I will be back with a rumor update this afternoon....

cheers.

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