EDMONTON -– Despite a growing sentiment among Edmonton fans -— who are asking out loud, “Why do we even want this guy?” -— the Edmonton Oilers are still hot in the hunt for Ottawa Senators malcontent Dany Heatley.

“We’re trying to better our hockey club,” Oilers general manager Steve Tambellini said Friday afternoon outside the team’s Edmonton offices. “It’s obvious we have shown an interest ... but this is up to (Senators GM) Bryan Murray and Dany Heatley.”

Tambellini was asked what so many Oilers fans are wondering: Why are the Oilers still in pursuit, after Heatley has declined to waive his no-trade clause, basically saying “no” to Edmonton all week long?

“They haven’t made a decision yet,” corrected the Oilers GM. “There’s a difference there.”

Have no doubt, Edmonton will hang in as long as need be. In a city that just cannot land the big-name free agents, this is as close to picking up a 50-goal scorer as it gets -— regardless of how much or little character Heatley brings to your club.

Heatley was invited to Team Canada’s camp in August prior to the 2010 Olympics. He has scored more goals in the past four seasons (180) than Calgary’s Jarome Iginla (159).

He doesn’t get along well with coaches and will soon be on his third organization, but Heatley is also an elite scorer with whom Tambellini has a history. In his former life as a Hockey Canada executive, Tambellini had Heatley at two World Championships.

“He is a good person,” the Oilers GM said.

Tambellini decried the fact that the names of the three Oilers who would go to Ottawa in the deal -— Dustin Penner, Andrew Cogliano and Ladislav Smid -— were leaked to the media almost as fast as he offered them to Murray.

“It’s not fair to them. I’m not happy about that,” he said.

With the Senators having paid Heatley $4 million of his $8-million salary for next season, Murray said it will take a new deal to get Heatley out of Ottawa now.

Tambellini would not comment on that, nor would he put a deadline on his club’s interest.