Earlier this week, Bryan Murray hinted that if he ends up on the hook for a $4 million cheque owed to Dany Heatley on July 1st, he might not be willing to trade the unhappy winger.
On Friday, Heatley's camp did not want to talk about the outside possibility of the sniper returning to Ottawa in the fall because a trade could not be worked out at this weekend's NHL Entry Draft.
"We don't want to address that right now. That's a few months away," said J.P. Barry, one of Heatley's agents. "We're just trying focus on what we have to do together. We're going to stick to that approach right now."
Heatley's contract is structured in a way that gives him a lump sum payment of $4 million on July 1st as part of his $8 million contract for the 2009-10 season. The general feeling is that most teams would like to wait until after the Senators pay Heatley the $4 million on July 1st before making a trade. But Murray does not intend to pay Heatley half of his salary, while he plays for another team next season.
"I've made it very clear that if we pay any more money, this (trade) probably isn't going to happen," stated Murray on Monday.
Heatley remains at his summer home in Kelowna, BC and has not made any public comments since requesting a trade out of Ottawa earlier this month. Barry said his client remains optimistic that a deal can be reached that works for all sides.
"I've asked him (Heatley) to stay calm. I know that Bryan is working hard and it's going to be a process before July 1. We're just waiting for Bryan to give us news," added Barry.
