The funny thing about late in the evening err night trades like this is they often will catch you a bit off guard. However the San Jose Sharks did trade Dany Heatley to the Minnesota Wild for Martin Havlat. Yes it was understood that Heatley was injured with several ailments but it may have been just more than that. Havlat just did not work out in Minnesota though for the most part he did stay very healthy.
That is the key in these types of trades as age is not an issue (both guys are 30). The funny thing is this trade is more or less a win for both teams in a sense. Minnesota needed more of a sniper and San Jose needed someone on the Wing to create space with his speed. To that end, both teams achieved what they needed to do.
Quotes are fine and dandy but really dismiss from the actual impact of the deal especially for fantasy owners. Yes there was a window for Sharks GM Doug Wilson to make this deal and he did it. If this is not a wakeup call to Heatley, I do not know what is and it kind of is to Havlat as well. They are two players at the prime of their careers who both signed big deals and now have been dealt for each other.
Okay it is stat time……
Dany Heatley’s Time In San Jose…..
| Yr | Tm | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | PP | SH | GW | S | ATI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 09-10 | SJS | 82 | 39 | 43 | 82 | 14 | 54 | 18 | 1 | 9 | 280 | 20:14 |
| 10-11 | SJS | 80 | 26 | 38 | 64 | 8 | 56 | 11 | 1 | 5 | 217 | 19:39 |
| Career | 669 | 325 | 364 | 689 | 69 | 566 | 128 | 8 | 58 | 2126 | 20:39 |
Martin Havlat’s Time In Minnesota……
| Yr | Tm | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | PP | SH | GW | S | ATI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 09-10 | MIN | 73 | 18 | 36 | 54 | -19 | 34 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 169 | 17:56 |
| 10-11 | MIN | 78 | 22 | 40 | 62 | -10 | 52 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 229 | 18:21 |
| Career | 621 | 209 | 303 | 512 | 58 | 332 | 60 | 1 | 38 | 1599 | 17:08 |
So now what? Both players have seen their shot conversion rates drop and a few other similar numbers but there are a lot of contrasts here. Dany Heatley was playing with Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau for good stretches while Martin Havlat was playing with Mikko Koivu. Koivu is a very good player but is not the elite talent that say Thornton was two years ago. Now father time did catch up in San Jose a bit but in Minnesota, that team just could not score for long stretches. They were trapped in a style that cannot be changed overnight and clearly Havlat fell victim to that.
Now it is presumed things will be different with the acquisition of Dany Heatley. Minnesota has to score goals and Heatley, when healthy and motivated, can do so. Heatley has potted 39 or more goals six times in his career and is only 30. He is a goal scorer so when he does not score it does set off red flags. Speed is not a strength of his and neither is conditioning which some have said has led to his injuries and “breaking down”.
One thing to be noted is the increased time Martin Havlat will likely get now. Figure a three minute jump in Average Time On Ice will be significant. If he can stay healthy (which he has for the past two years), that could mean quite a jump points wise. While that will not be earth shattering, it will be noticeable. Speed kills and that speed on the ice for extra time will open opportunities for other San Jose players who previously were looking to get Heatley the puck.
Life is not all curtains for Dany Heatley either by any means. He does have the ability to turn this around but does he have the work ethic? The past has shown he can be a dominant player when the circumstances are right but Minnesota is a different animal. Clearly, Heatley will have plenty of chances to do so.
Early projections say that Havlat could jump by 10-15 points and Heatley could as well. Again, this could be all tempered by the word “injury”. Clearly their stays in San Jose and Minnesota were not all that long and maybe that should come as a fantasy surprise to no one that this trade was made.
Give us your thoughts on this trade. For the money, Havlat has more bang but Heatley will score more goals. What do you value more fantasy wise? That is the question.
