Do you know the way to San Jose...

Ottawa trades Dany Heatley to San Jose for Milan Michalek, Jonathan Cheechoo and a 2nd round pick in 2010.

The summer-long drama has come to a close, and no, I am not talking about the TV hit Big Brother (Finale this Tueday - my money's on Kevin). Dany Heatley has finally been shipped out of Ottawa after demanding a trade in June. This was no easy task for GM Bryan Murray as the news went public and Heatley carries an albatross of a contract. Murray found a team in Edmonton who had the right assets and most importantly the cap space to bring on Dany, only to have Heater VETO the deal (do you see the Big Brother theme here?).

After a few more long months for Murray, and the Ottawa fanbase, he was finally able to secure a deal with San Jose on the first day of training camp. The timing here was key as Ottawa did not want Heatley coming to camp and becoming a distraction. Considering the elements he was up against, Murray did a great job obtaining some top 6 depth in this deal, something Ottawa hasn't had in years.

Let's break the deal down from a fantasy prospective...

Dany Heatley & Joe Thornton:

Heatley is one of the purest goal-scorers in the game. A couple of seasons ago, he teamed with Centre Jason Spezza to form the most lethal duo in the NHL. Coming out of the lockout, Dany put up two straight seasons of 50 goals and 100 points. Now, he is coming off an "off-year" of 39 goals and 72 points. This was in a season where he didn't see eye-to-eye with Sens interim Head Coach Cory Clouston and was even downgraded to the 2nd powerplay unit. Heatley wasn't happy with the treatment which led to the trade request.

The move to San Jose is a good one for Heater. At 28, he is still in the prime of his career. While he loses a soft-handed playmaker in Jason Spezza, he gets a slightly better one in Joe Thornton. Spezza is a great player but he sometimes lacks the ability to create space for himself and his teammates. Thornton thrives on using his huge frame to create space and time. He should instantly connect with Heatley (think of Thornton's play with a "Heatley-like" Rick Nash in the World Championships a few years back). Heatley and Thornton should start making some sweet music together in October and expect them both to have big bounce-back years.

Fearless Forecast:
Dany Heatley
80GP, 51G, 41A, 92 Points

Joe Thornton
82GP, 26G, 67, 94 Points

Milan Michalek & Jonathan Cheechoo:

Ottawa has been searching for reliable second line scoring for what seems like forever and they may have finally addressed it. After adding Alexi Kovalev via Free Agency, the additions of Michalek and Cheechoo provide the Sens with solid secondary scoring.

Milan Michalek has established himself as a 55-60 point guy and still has some upside. At 24, he could turn into a 70 point player if put in the right situation. Expect Michalek to play on the second line with Alfredsson and incumbent centre Mike Fisher. The three should form a dangerous second line with the potential for all 3 to have big seasons.

Jonathan Cheechoo has become a bit of an enigma in the NHL. A pure goal-scorer, he meshed with Joe Thornton coming out of the lockout and won the Maurice Richard trophy with 56 goals. Since then, he has seen his goals total decline each year with 37, 23 and then a mere 12 last year. "Cheech" has struggled to get his confidence back and a change of scenery could be just what the doctor ordered. While Ottawa had to take on Cheechoo's contract to allow San Jose to make the trade, he could end up being a very useful player for the Sens. A passionate player, Cheechoo could thrive under the enhanced microscope of a Canadian team. Watching him last year, he showed he still has great hands and skill but just couldn't finish. Expect Clouston to pair Cheechoo with Jason Spezza and Alexei Kovalev. On that line, Cheech could become the go-to finisher and have a bounceback year.

Fearless Forecast:

Milan Michalek
75GP, 24G, 25A, 59 Points

Jonathan Cheechoo
71G, 31G, 22A, 53 Points

Editor's Note:

On a side note, Mark and I would like to thank our followers for the great comments and feedback on our first annual JFH Forecaster. Mark and I worked very hard over the past month to put this together and we hope you find it as useful as we have in preparing for fantasy hockey drafts.

I would also like to thank Mark for his hard work over the last month. Mark kept posting some great articles while I was MIA. I had been consumed by my recent wedding and honeymoon in late August and appreciate Mark keeping JFH active and responsive during that time. With the wedding over, fantasy hockey once again consumes my life and I look forward to a great season here on JFH.

Chris