Give Senators edge in Heatley swap

OK, I've had a week to digest the first blockbuster trade of the NHL season, which involved two underachieving teams -- the Ottawa Senators and San Jose Sharks.

At first glance, I'm tempted to say the Senators, who lacked scoring depth behind the Big Three of Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley, the latter of whom was shipped to the Sharks (along with a fifth-round draft pick) in exchange for forwards Jonathan Cheechoo and Milan Michalek, and a second-round pick.

Heatley, for reasons he has yet to explain -- maybe he never will -- wanted out of Ottawa, and it's never a good thing to keep an unhappy player around, no matter how talented.

Heatley is definitely a highly-skilled forward, having averaged 45 goals in each of the past four seasons. But he slipped to 72 points last season, his lowest total in Ottawa, and later complained about a diminshing role under coach Cory Clouston, even though the Senators finished 19-11-4 and showed a lot more life after Clouston replaced Craig Hartsburg.

Will Heatley score a ton with the Sharks? Probably, especially if he skates on a line with Joe Thornton. And maybe, just maybe, the Sharks won't underachieve again in the playoffs.

Of course, the Senators also have been busts since advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2006-07. They were eliminated in the first round the following season and missed the playoffs last year.

Michalek is a very underrated player. He totaled 90 goals over the past four seasons and, at age 24, is four years younger than Heatley. Michalek and Cheechoo, 29, will make a combined $7 million this season, $1 million less than Heatley, who still has five years remaining on a six-year, $45 million extension. That's significant in the salary cap era.

Michalek is also a lot more responsible defensively. He was a plus-11 a year ago, while Heatley was a minus-11. And, unlike Heatley, Cheechoo's work ethic has never been questioned. The Senators won't be quite so soft with Cheechoo in the lineup.

It's true that Cheechoo's production, in part because of injuries, has slipped considerably since he scored an NHL-leading 56 goals in 2005-06. He had only 12 goals last season in 66 games, but that total should rise by a substantial margin if he can stay healthy.

For now, at least, I give a slight edge to the Senators for getting a productive deal done after they essentially were forced into making it by a disgruntled star.

Preseason hockey: Zzzzzzzz

The official start of fall is fast approaching, which can only mean the following:

• Baseball pennant races are in full swing.
• The NFL and college football seasons have started.
• Here comes NHL exhibition hockey.

Yawn.

Don't get me wrong. I love hockey, have played the game (though not particularly well) and have been covering it for parts of three decades, on both the NHL and collegiate levels.

I just wish it was somehow possible to skip training camp and preseason games, and get right to the good stuff.

I know that isn't realistic, but the first few preseason games -- exhibitions, whatever -- are usually sloppy affairs featuring a bunch of guys who have absolutely no chance of sticking to an NHL roster for opening night.

Teams are supposed to ice a minimum of 10 NHL veterans, and the home teams will normally dress a lot more than that to satisfy fans who are paying regular-season prices for what amount to practice games. The visitors seem to think that a guy who sat in an airplane that once flew over an NHL city is somehow considered a legitimate "veteran."

Not only that, the first couple of games tend to turn into marathon slugfests, with plenty of fisticuffs as prospects attempt to impress coaches with their toughness.

About the only positive thing I can think of when it comes to training camp and the preseason: it doesn't last very long. Gone are the days of two- and three-a-days with 75-player rosters and three-week camps.

Most teams now hit the ice for just a few days of camp for a couple of hours at most -- players supervise their own unofficial workouts for weeks beforehand -- and start playing games right away. And preseason schedules have been cut in recent years from nine and 10 games to maybe a half dozen.

As for the regular season ... bring it on!

Foote new Avalanche captain

The Colorado Avalanche couldn't have made a better choice than to select Adam Foote (left) as its new team captain. The 38-year-old defenseman succeeds longtime captain Joe Sakic, who retired in July.

Foote has played all but parts of three of his 17-season NHL career with the Quebec/Colorado franchise, and he has two Stanley Cup championships and an Olympic gold medal on his resume.

The heart and soul of the defense during the team's glory days, Foote will be counted on to provide plenty of leadership for what promises to be the youngest Avalanche team since it arrived in Denver in 1995.

"I've been with this franchise for the majority of my career and I know what the standards are," he said. "I look forward to the challenge of leading this team, starting with training camp and going into the regular season."

There had been some talk that the cherished "C" could go to fourth-year man Paul Stastny, who has succeeded Sakic as the Avalanche's No. 1 center. Stastny's time will come, perhaps as early as next season. Foote has one year left on his contract and it wouldn't surprise anybody if he decides to retire following the 2009-10 campaign.

Fleury on the comeback trail

You have to feel good for Theo Fleury, who has been cleared by the NHL to return to league play, even if his chances of actually sticking with a club at this point in his life would seem to be pretty remote.

He's 41 years old and hasn't played in the NHL since 2002-03 with the Chicago Blackhawks.

A terrific player in his prime -- he scored 30 or more goals eight times -- hockey's little big man at 5-feet-6 and 180 pounds was troubled by substance abuse, a problem that wrecked an otherwise tremendous career.

I was covering the Colorado Avalanche for the Rocky Mountain News when then-general manager Pierre Lacroix made another of his blockbuster trades by acquiring Fleury from the Calgary Flames in February 1999 for the playoff stretch.

The Flames wound up with a couple of role players in Wade Belak and Rene Corbet, along with junior prospect Robyn Regehr, who eventually developed into one of Calgary's top defensemen and continues to play at a high level.

Anyway, Fleury was a breath of fresh air in a very professional but rather boring Avalanche locker room, a veritable quote machine and one of the most friendly people you'd ever want to meet.

Fleury could still play, too, and he finished with 10 goals and 14 assists in just 15 regular-season games. He had a nice playoff run as well, collecting five goals and 12 assists in 18 games, but Avalanche fans likely still remember his missing a game against the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference finals for what the team said was the "flu."

Well, no one really believed that was the reason, but the Avalanche won 7-5 without him to grab a 3-2 series lead before losing Games 6 and 7.

The Avalanche didn't make much of an attempt to re-sign Fleury, who became an unrestricted free agent after the season, and he wound up with the New York Rangers.

Fleury hasn't played competitive hockey since 2005-06, when he looked like Wayne Gretzky while skating for the Belfast Giants in Europe, amassing 22 goals and 52 assists in 34 games.

Fleury was placed in Stage 4 of the NHL/NHLPA substance abuse and behavorial health program in June 2006 and will continue to participate in the program's after care phase.

Good for Theo. He's been sober for several years and has gotten his life back together.

Seems to me his comeback is pretty complete as it stands, whether or not he ever plays another game in the NHL.

Coyotes faceoff heating up

Call it a Duel in the Valley of Sun, the fight to see whether the Phoenix Coyotes remain in Arizona or wind up in Hamilton, Ontario.

On the one side we have the NHL, led by commissioner Gary Bettman, who wants the Coyotes to keep playing at the Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, Ariz.

On the other is Jim Balsillie, whose Research In Motion company makes the popular Blackberry -- and has made him a fortune.

If money talks, and if judge Redfield T. Baum allows Balsillie to bid for the Coyotes in bankruptcy court, the league might have an impossible chance to compete.

Balsillie is willing to pay $242.5 million for the franchise, with several million to take care of the arena lease and with the stipulation he can move the team to Canada. The league is offering to pay $140 million to keep the team in Glendale while seeking a local buyer.

Balsillie gained some traction when a group named Ice Edge dropped out of the bidding. Its offer was only $150 million and was predicated on getting a new lease.

The league's board of governors voted 26-0, with three abstentions, to keep Balsillie from becoming an owner, so whichever way the bankruptcy judge rules will be extremely meaningful in terms of how much authority a league and its commissioner can wield.

Both sides are prepared to appeal.

Violent behavior? See you in court

Should violent behavior on the ice result in prosecution in court?

It's a question that's been debated for years.

Legal wrangling is ongoing in the wake of the much-publicized 2004 on-ice attack by then-Vancouver Canucks forward Todd Bertuzzi against then-Colorado Avalanche forward Steve Moore.

Moore suffered three fractured vertebrae, facial cuts and still suffers from post-concussion syndrome. He never played another game after the incident and his hockey career is over.

Moore filed a multimillion dollar civil suit against Bertuzzi, who lost about $500,000 in salary when he was suspended by the NHL. He also pleaded guilty in a British Columbia court to "assault causing bodily harm," received a conditional discharge and was ordered to perform community service.

Bertuzzi's suspension was lifted by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman before the 2005-06 season -- the 2004-05 campaign was lost to a lockout -- and he continues to play. He signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Detroit Red Wings in August.

I bring this up because Jonathan Roy, the son of Hall of Fame goalie Patrick Roy, will face assault charges in October for beating up Chicoutimi Sagueneens goalie Bobby Nadeau in a Quebec Major Junior Hockey League game in March 2008.

What is it about March?

Anyway, Jonathan Roy was tending goal for the Quebec Remparts -- coached by his dad -- when he skated across the ice to pummel Nadeau. The Canadian Press reported Tuesday that Quebec court judge Valmont Beaulieu rejected Roy's lawyer's request to have the case tossed, even though Nadeau didn't suffer any long-term injuries and no other brawling players have been charged.

If convicted, Roy could face a maximum fine of $2,000 or six months in jail.

So, what do you think? I don't have a problem if an athlete is charged for behavior that takes place on the field or ice.

It's called being forced to take some responsibility for one's actions, no different for anyone else in society.

Lightning struck with Tanguay

Nice move by the Lightning this week, signing left wing Alex Tanguay to a one-year deal for $2.5 million, a pretty good bargain when you take into account some of the millions other teams have been throwing at free agents.

It's less than half what Tanguay made in each of the past three seasons with the Flames and Canadiens.

Tanguay is a very good offensive player when he's healthy, and he's responsible at the opposite end of the ice, never having been a "minus" player in nine previous NHL seasons.

Is he healthy? That's the rub. Shoulder problems limited Tanguay to 50 games last season in Montreal and he underwent offseason surgery, but he passed a physical before signing with Tampa Bay.

The Lightning probably will try Tanguay on a line with Vinny Lecavalier, whose 29 goals last season were his lowest total in six years. Tanguay isn't a huge goal-scorer -- his 29 goals in 2005-06 with the Avalanche is a career high -- but he's a very good playmaker and should be a terrific setup man for Lecavalier.

I covered Tanguay during his six seasons in Colorado, and he was especially effective in the 2001 Stanley Cup Finals when the Avalanche knocked off New Jersey in seven games. Tanguay was a horse in the postseason, and he scored two goals against the Devils in Game 7.

OK, that was eight years ago, but Tanguay is still only 29 and he's never played on a team that's missed the playoffs. If there is one drawback to Tanguay's game, he can be too unselfish at times. He has a strong shot but tends to think pass first. The joke among some writers in Colorado was that he might look to make a pass even while on a clean breakaway; obviously, that never happened.

But Tanguay is a good teammate and he's certain to help the Lightning, which has needed all the help it can get since winning the Cup back in 2004.

Tanguay isn't superstitious, either. He'll continue to wear sweater No. 13. Hopefully, for the Lightning's sake, he proves to be a good luck charm.