Heatley, NHL Players Learn the Hard Way

It was a difficult task to do: NHL GMs knew that they had to readjust the players' salaries in order to respect new rules from the collective bargaining agreement. Everybody knew it, in fact. A lot of surprises came along, but how far will it go?

Despite major trades such as Peter Forsberg's moving to Philadelphia, Dany Heatley also surprised everyone when it was announced that he was going to play for the Ottawa Senators. Marian Hossa and Greg deVries will switch places. That way, the Senators will be able to negotiate with defensemen Zdeno Chara and Wade Redden, who will be free agents next year.

Therefore, Heatley was ready to move and, according to some sources, needed a change of air. Maybe a lot of people supported him after his car accident that took the life of his good friend and teammate Dan Snyder, but the pressure of being around the same environment probably made it hard to cope with. It was also said that Heatley already sold his house and was ready to jump on the ice with other players. We'll see if he can cope and bring his skills to Ottawa in his usual, productive way.

More and more Canadian players return, and it's a good thing. Hossa will also be a good alternative for Trashers coach Bob Hartley, who also has to live with major cuts. Still, he'll probably play with Ilya Kowalchuk, and it should bring an interesting offensive play.

The Senators' owner, John Mucklet, definitely takes a risk by making such a trade. He just traded a good offensive player, one of — if not the best — scorer of his team. Heatley will have to take that role entirely and no mistakes can be allowed. So, even if he changes his environment, and the players he works with, the pressure will be the same — but it will be lived differently.

Let's not forget that Dany Heatley is not alone in his situation. While GMs tried to cope and keep their best players for the next season, players soon realized a crucial fact: they cannot take anything for granted anymore. There is absolutely no insurance on the table, and the money is counted more than once. A new word evolved into the NHL: greed. To be honest, no one expected to hear that word in the world of professional hockey.

Circumstances are new and everyone involved — players, GMs, and coaches — will have to adapt to the new structure. Good for fans, good for the teams? We'll see.

However, the first thing to do is hope that the tickets' prices decrease a little, go back to the games, enjoy it, and see if players can give a better show with new rules and a new way of living. As for Heatley, I'll see how he goes in Ottawa. Like the rest of the players, he'll learn the hard way: logic and maturity in life often consists in knowing how to concede and let go.