Since Friday afternoon's Dany Heatley presser, every hockey journalist or writer has had the necessary time to organize and convey their thoughts. So take the time and join me as I navigate and sift through the Interwebs in search of some eloquent and unique commentary. As is the norm, any of my comments or thoughts will be in a bold font.

"FUCK this assclown!" ~ SLC, Five For Smiting

Short and concise. Too the point and bang on with his analysis. This is the piece that Don Brennan wish he had written.

Despite the fact that Ron Hextall and Dean Lombardi have said they are not interested, his character is in question, he doesn't seem to get along with coaches unless he's allowed free reign...

Dany Heatley to the Kings makes a lot of sense. ~ Matthew Barry, Hockeybuzz

I concur. They're probably the best fit for Heatley. Now just convince Dean Lombardi to get off of his hands and make a reasonable offer. But what's reasonable? To acquire Heatley, LA would have to clear almost $2M in cap room. Consequently, they'd have to move a contract out. I'd imagine Murray would want Frolov or Justin Williams in any deal to immediately replace some of Heatley's production, but if Lombardi insists on a shittier player/bad contract combo (ie. Handszus, Stoll), I'd insist on getting better prospects as part of the package. I've always thought a Frolov/Teubert/1st rounder would get it done, but at this point, I'd be inclined to listen to an offer of Schenn/Handszus/1st.

The San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings are believed to be two of the teams still interested in Heatley. ~ Dave Pagnotta, The Fourth Period

...where there's smoke, there's fire...

Since being stripped of the captaincy by head coach Todd McLellan, there has been speculation that Patrick Marleau is now the centerpiece of a trade that will bring Dany Heatley to the Sharks.

If a move is made, however, it won't stop at just Heatley for Marleau; Mike Fisher and Jonathan Cheechoo are also said to be involved. ~ Daniel Sallows, Bleacher Report

...and where there are rumours, there's steaming crap. I wouldn't invest too much energy into this rumour since the author later states that Mike Comrie could even wind up back in Edmonton.

So if he thinks his role was diminished, does he think someone's role's been elevated? Obviously not Spezza. Alfredsson's role hasn't changed.

I think the reason he thinks he played a diminished role is that his numbers are diminished. The worst point production, shooting percentage, and plus/minus of his career since his rookie year. ~ Don, Battle of Ontario

Confusing a diminished role with waning production makes sense because I don't think Dany's very bright. Despite claims that he's a team guy, he's conflicted that statement with bullshit about a diminished role. At the start of last season, Heatley was given the 'A', but he could really learn to take a page out of Daniel Alfredsson's book. Whenever the big three are split up off of the top line, Alfie is the one that gets bounced. If Heatley's separation anxiety from Spezza is this bad, he must have been a mess to have missed his friend's wedding. Just imagine how head fucked he's going to be like when he's dealt to somewhere else?

If you want some statistics that refute Heatley's diminished role complex, head on over to Silver Seven Sens and check out the article written by Darren.

"I somewhat sympathize with Heatley. He signed a contract he really couldn’t turn down in a place he didn’t really want to be. I imagine he has had trade in the back of his mind from the day he signed the contract. I don’t think it was as contrived as say Alex Rodriguez in Texas, but I do think he’s wanted to leave. He’s a good player and this should pass." ~ John Buccigross in an interview with Another Sens Blog

Even though Bucci is a well respected member of the hockey media, I refuse to believe that Dany Heatley never wanted to be here. Had he entered unrestricted free agency, he would have been able to get a deal that's similar or larger than the one that he signed here. I refuse to give credit to Heatley having the smarts to ask out of his deal here now that the frontloaded portion of his contract has expired.

"It’s just not true. I love playing in Canada,” he said. “There were some Canadian teams on the list I gave the Senators early in the summer. I live in Canada in the summer and love playing in Canada. It has nothing to do with that.” ~ Dany Heatley via Sun Media

Anyone want to hedge any bets as to which cities he's referring to? My money's on Calgary and Vancouver.

But a person doesn't behave the way that Heatley has -- particularly towards his closest friends -- if his issues only involve his role on the team. He doesn't shut down. He doesn't become an island. And that's exactly what Dany has done during the past two months. ~ The Universal Cynic

There's no 'i' in team but there is one in 'island'. Maybe it's easier to be a team player when you're not surrounded by teammates.

And he has a valid point about playing time. People like to cite the fact that he has the second-highest time on ice for a forward behind Daniel Alfredsson, but looking at the whole year really obscures the facts of the situation. When Cory Clouston took over as head coach, his TOI went down to about 17 minutes, which is far far below the kind of icetime that you're supposed to give to a player of his caliber. He also played a diminished role in the power play, which is an offensive forward's bread and butter. Even if he isn't just being a whore for stats, the fact that Clouston has so little respect for him that he would scale down his ice time indicates that he's in not in the best situation

Dany Heatley, despite all the controversy, is one of the most gifted players in the league. He's one of the rare talents who has proven he's capable of repeated 50-goal seasons. When you've got the kind of player signed to your team for five more years, you use him no matter how much of a douche you think he is. Instead of harping on Heatley for being a brat, the Ottawa media should be putting the pressure on Clouston for underutilizing one of their most valuable assets. ~ Chris Chester, Open Sports

Yes, pity Heatley. Let's ignore the improved success that the team enjoyed under Cory Clouston. And forget the efforts to balance the talent on both power play units. Let's just go back to the Craig Hartsburg era where the 1st line plays twenty-four minutes a night and they're burnt out by midseason. Forget about the playoffs this year, let's strictly focus on Dany getting back to 50 goals a year. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Chris Chester -- the guy who cheers for the name on the back of the jersey and not the crest on the front.