Hossa shipped to Thrashers
 Atlanta Thrashers' forward Dany Heatley was dealt to the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday for newly signed forward Marian Hossa. (CP FILE PHOTO/Frank Gunn) |
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OTTAWA (CP) - The Ottawa Senators have acquired sniper Dany Heatley from the Atlanta Thrashers in exchange for forward Marian Hossa and another player, Heatley's agent confirmed Tuesday.
"We had approached the Thrashers a couple of weeks ago requesting a change of environment," agent Stacey McAlpine told The Canadian Press. "It was an extremely difficult decision, but we all worked together to try and get things resolved and it looks like we were able to do that."
An Ottawa team spokesman declined to comment on the Hossa-Heatley deal. The Thrashers also would not confirm reports of an afternoon news conference.
McAlpine said Heatley would meet the media Wednesday in Ottawa.
The move gives Heatley a fresh start, away from Atlanta where he was involved in a high-speed car crash in the fall of 2003 that resulted in the death of friend and teammate Dan Snyder and left Heatley with multiple injuries.
For the Senators, they get some relief from Hossa's freshly minted big-ticket salary while acquiring a big name in exchange. Heatley is a restricted free agent.
The deal comes hours after the Senators avoided salary arbitration with Hossa by signing the star forward to an $18-million US, three-year deal.
A source said Hossa will earn $5 million this season, $6 million in 2006-07 and $7 million the following season.
Ottawa already had a payroll of some $31 million for this season, meaning a big Hossa settlement would push them near the $39-million salary cap. Most teams are also trying to leave a gap under the cap, so they have some room in case of injuries.
Hossa, 26, led the Senators with 36 goals and 46 assists in 2003-04, the last season before the lockout. He has scored 20 goals or more the last four NHL seasons, collecting 188 goals and 202 assists in 467 career games, all with Ottawa.
Heatley, 24, has 80 goals and 101 assists in 190 NHL regular-season games although injuries from the car crash limited him to 13 goals and 12 assists in 31 games in 2003-04.
He was injured again while playing in Switzerland during the lockout when a puck struck him in the face, breaking the orbital bone.
The second overall pick in the 2000 draft, he was the league's top rookie in 2001-02. His best season was 2002-03, when he had 41 goals and 48 assists. But his career was derailed in September 2003.
The MVP of the 2004 IIHF men's world hockey championship, Heatley was driving his Ferrari convertible on a curved road in a residential area when it ran into a brick pillar and iron fence. Snyder, a passenger, died after several days in a coma.
In February, Heatley was sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to give 150 speeches about the dangers of speeding after pleading guilty in the death of Snyder in a plea bargain.
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