The Dany Heatley saga has finally come to an end, closing off one of this summer’s two neverending stories.

Heatley and a fifth round draft pick from the Ottawa Senators have been traded to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Milan Michalek, Jonathan Cheechoo and a second round pick. The deal came after a lot of trade chatter on Friday and Saturday, leading Heatley to the team he wanted to go to all along and finally closing the chapter for the Senators.

“It’s a deal that we talked about throughout the summer, although Michalek came in late,” Senators GM Bryan Murray said after announcing the deal six hours into the first day of training camp.

The saga began with a verbal trade request in mid-May, followed by written confirmation by Heatley as requested by the Senators. He was apparently unhappy with his diminished role on the team and wanted to be a part of the core group again. Heatley didn’t see that happening in Ottawa, so he was prepared to take his show on the road.

Unfortunately for Heatley, the road went through Edmonton first. He used the no-movement clause in his contract to veto a move to the Oilers in exchange for Andrew Cogliano, Dustin Penner, and Ladislav Smid.

The change should be good for the Senators, who can finally get down to the business of putting a solid team together again. With Cheechoo and Michalek, the Sens have a couple of players to work with. Both players are capable of making valuable contributions.

Heatley’s a nice fit for the Sharks and should be an impact player there. With his arrival, there’ll be a real battle as to who the legit offensive producer is on that squad. Expect big things from the Sharks this season, although it still remains to be seen if they’ll be able to keep any success going through the post-season.

Posted by Jordan Richardson.

The Vancouver Canucks have certainly wasted little time in filling the gap left by Mattias Ohlund. In picking up 40-year-old free agent Mathieu Schneider and snagging Brad Lukowich and Christian Ehrhoff from the San Jose Sharks, the team is looking a bit more intimidating on the blueline.

The Sharks traded the pair of defenders to Vancouver for prospects in what looks like a salary dump situation to get their team under cap control. Some are speculating that the move of two significant players like Ehrhoff and Lukovich is possibly to clear some room for Dany Heatley, who has been pretty clear about a desire to play in San Jose.

Regardless of the reasons, the Canucks are rightly satisfied with the acquisitions.

“Defence has been an area we wanted to add skill and depth to and this trade has strengthened our group considerably,” Canucks general manager Mike Gillis said.

The Sharks will save about $5 million on the deal, clearing out the $3.15 million due to Ehrhoff and the $1.8 million contract that Lukowich is set for.

Sharks GM Doug Wilson was more than clear about his intentions and stated that he appreciated the flexibility the move gave him. “It gives you the ability to explore all opportunities that do come our way,” he said. “I’ve constantly said, this team won’t truly be finished until March around the trade deadline.”

Schneider should give the Canucks good veteran presence in the locker room, while Ehrhoff will be expected to spend quite a bit of time on the power play. Lukowich could be the odd man out in the deal for Vancouver, but his stay-at-home style might prove valuable down the stretch.

Posted by Jordan Richardson.

According to San Jose Sharks head coach Todd McLellan, Patrick Marleau will not be serving as the captain of the team in the upcoming NHL season. On top of that news, McLellan revealed that the alternate captaincy positions were also currently vacant. Joe Thornton and Mike Grier were serving as alternates for the 2008-2009 season, but Grier moved on to the Buffalo Sabres.

Many blame Marleau’s recent performance as a part of the problem in San Jose, with a lack of leadership standing as one of the reasons for his removal as team captain. Marleau’s lack of performance in the playoffs is often cited by critics, too.

McLellan took on talk of Marleau’s efficacy as captain head-on, however, telling press that the problems with the team started at the coaching position. “It’s a collective thing and it starts with me as coach,” he said.

The decision to remove Marleau as captain sets up a training camp dynamic in which a player will be able to “earn the C,” so to speak. This means that Marleau, should be perform up to standards, could actually earn his captaincy back.

“I want to see who’s stepping up to the front,” McLellan said. “We’ll see as it evolves. I can walk around town and everybody’s giving me a suggestion. We can talk about it internally - everybody has an opinion. I believe it’ll sort itself out.”

A similar situation took place in Dallas after Mike Modano was stripped of the captaincy in favour of Brenden Morrow. The team needed a change in direction and Morrow has proven himself to be a decent fit for the job thus far. Hopefully the situation in San Jose will resolve itself and the new captain, whoever it ends up being, will be able to pull the Sharks past the dreaded opening rounds of the playoffs and towards some greater success as a hockey franchise.

Posted by Jordan Richardson.

If the San Jose Sharks want to succeed, they’ll need to start being honest with themselves about what works and what does not work in terms of building a winning hockey club. Perhaps no other team in the NHL looks better on paper than the Sharks, with a masterful mix of players in all the right positions.

The Sharks are a team that can play incredible hockey during the regular season. They are capable of demolishing squads with crisp passing, great physical play, and a nice scoring touch.

But in the post-season, when hockey really starts to matter, the Sharks tend to drown. Now it is up to the brass in San Jose to start finding out why.

The Sharks have just made their fourth straight early exit in the playoffs. They were wrapped up in six games against the eighth-seeded Anaheim Ducks. The Ducks, led by savvy veterans with copious amounts of grit, outplayed and out-hustled the Sharks team and demonstrated that the post-season is indeed a whole new season of hockey. It is akin to hitting the “reset” button.

The Sharks were hoping to contend this season, as per usual, but they will hang that President’s Trophy banner with the shadow of missed opportunity and failure looming overheard.

Some of the blame rests on Sharks captain Patrick Marleau. He has long been criticized for being uncomfortable in the role, although it is a certainty that any member of the Sharks would rush to his defence in a pinch. More of the blame must rest on Joe Thornton, who was nearly invisible for the entire series even with five points in six games. He showed little energy on the ice, save for a last-minute effort to get something going with Ducks forward Ryan Getzlaf.

And goaltending was another area in which San Jose came up short. Evgeni Nabokov, as good as he is prone to be during the regular season, he was no match for the Ducks Jonas Hiller. Hiller, making his playoff debut, offered the Sharks two shutouts in the series and almost got a third.

So where will the Sharks go from here? Obviously moving some of the larger guns is out of the question and it is highly unlikely that a player the caliber of Joe Thornton would be moved. But there will be a shake-up somewhere in San Jose and the team will look very different next year, especially if there is to be a chance of post-season glory. If not, the Sharks will once again be that team that kicks all kinds of butt in the regular season and fizzles out in the post-season.

Posted by Jordan Richardson.

The San Jose Sharks kept it pretty simple on Trade Deadline Day despite having a good hard look at the options available on the rental market. In the end, GM Doug Wilson decided that there was no reason to break up the nucleus of the team.

The Sharks added two Anaheim Ducks to the fold on Wednesday, scooping Travis Moen and defenceman Kent Huskins. The additions show that Wilson is serious about his team and has confidence in the squad, which should bode well for on-ice production in the coming weeks as the Sharks begin their march for the Stanley Cup.

“We believe in the group that’s in there,” Sharks coach Todd McLellan said on Tuesday night.

And when the “group that’s in there” includes Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Rob Blake, Dan Boyle, Jonathan Cheechoo, and Evgeni Nabokov among others, you know that the coach is probably on to something. The Sharks will be an extremely hard team to play against, although the pressure is on this year to prove that they can go with the players they have.

Posted by Jordan Richardson.

After a four year absence from the National Hockey League, veteran agitator Claude Lemieux has been recalled by the San Jose Sharks from their American League in Worcester. This completes the comeback tour of Lemieux, who will lace up the skates for the Sharks soon.

Lemieux played 23 games for Worcester after starting the season with the China Sharks. He had 11 points in his time in the American League.

By suiting up on the San Jose Sharks, Lemieux has a good chance at playing on a Stanley Cup-winning squad. He’s making the minimum salary, sure, but he’s made more than his share of income in the NHL and won’t be hurting fiscally. Instead, Claude’s got a job to do and the Sharks are betting he’s going to get ‘er done.

For Lemieux, this isn’t a comeback based on making money. It’s a comeback based on proving himself. Like Chris Chelios, Lemieux is playing on a team stacked to the rafters with talent and ability. Proving himself on a team that includes Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, and others will be tough business, but the gritty veteran feels he’s up to the task.

At 43, Lemieux will certainly have his work cut out for him. He’ll have a lot of work to do to fit into the line-up and do his job properly, but something tells me the NHL’s masterful pest will work his magic and do exactly what the Sharks organization needs him to do.

“I feel really light on my feet,” Lemieux told The Hockey News. “But the schedule in the American League is one that’s difficult to measure your game because you’re off for five or six days and then you play three in three or six in eight. By the sixth game, you’re not going to feel like you have your legs. Whether you’re 43 or you’re 23, you feel like crap.”

And Lemieux seems to know exactly what his role for the team is expected to be, too. “If they’re looking for a centerman who can make plays, I’m not going to get the call,” he intoned. “But if they need a winger with experience who can battle, I think they’d be looking at a guy like me.”

With a winger with experience who can battle, the San Jose Sharks set out on the Road to Lord Stanley’s Cup with a brilliant team. It’s hard to find a weakness in the chain mail of the club, in fact, and adding Claude Lemieux to the picture grants their suit of armour a few extra spikes.

Posted by Jordan Richardson.

It looks like Doug Wilson is getting set to take another big chance with his San Jose Sharks.

Word around the campfire is that Claude Lemieux has signed a tryout contract with the club. The 43-year-old is hoping to make a return to the National Hockey League after a five-year absence. Lemieux is expected to report to the Sharks’ AHL affiliate in Worcester this week, San Jose spokesman Scott Emmert said yesterday.

Lemieux hasn’t played in the NHL since the 2002-2003 season, which he spent with Phoenix and Dallas.

Sharks GM Wilson has been down this road before, going after veteran players and taking chances. Defenceman Sandis Ozolinsh was his latest project, playing 38 games with San Jose last season after being courted by several other clubs.

Earlier this year, Lemieux played a two games with the China Sharks, San Jose’s affiliate in Shanghai. He was testing his legs and skating ability, hoping to know for certain as to whether he would be able to wage an effective comeback in the NHL. Everything seems to have gone well in Shanghai, as Lemieux is set to arrive in Worcester soon.

Lemieux won four Stanley Cup titles during 18 NHL seasons with five teams. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the NHL’s playoff MVP in 1995 with the New Jersey Devils. Lemieux also won championships with Montreal (1986) and Colorado (1996) before adding a fourth ring with New Jersey again in 2000.

Posted by Jordan Richardson.

The San Jose Sharks have hired former Toronto Maple Leafs General Manager John Ferguson Jr. to be the director of pro scouting for the team.

Ferguson was hired by the Sharks after spending four and a half seasons running the Toronto Maple Leafs organization. In a top-end shuffle by Cliff Fletcher, Ferguson found himself on the outs.

There is a family connection in San Jose, as John’s father spent 11 seasons working with the Sharks organization. San Jose also added former Chicago coach Dirk Graham to its scouting staff along with Shin Larsson and Jason Rowe.

There is still a lot of discussion about Ferguson and his role in Toronto, as many fans were angered by his inability to put together a solid team. With the Leafs in prime rebuilding mode and the John Ferguson Jr. era well over, some individuals refuse to move on. Regardless, it looks like Ferguson is moving on and will spend some time developing as a pro scout director for the Sharks.

It has been, without question, a bit of a slow week in the NHL.

When some of the biggest news of the week involves San Jose Sharks forward Ryane Clowe and his signing of a one-year contract worth $1.6 million, you know that things have slowed down to a crawl.

No offense to Clowe, of course.

Clowe, a restricted free agent, missed 67 games last season with an injured right knee that required surgery. Despite that, he had a solid three goals and five assists for eight points in 15 regular season games and managed to add five goals and nine points in 13 playoff encounters.

Clowe, at 25 years of age, has totalled 19 goals and 44 points with 109 penalty minutes in 91 games over three NHL seasons.

He’ll add some depth to a strong San Jose team that should make a solid run through the playoffs in the upcoming season.

Well it appears that good ol’ J.R. has one left in the tank after all.

The San Jose Sharks just announced that Jeremy Roenick will sign for one more year with them. The deal is reportedly worth double what he was paid for this past season, which puts it at around $1 million.

“I’m so happy to say that I will be back for another year,” Roenick said on the team’s website. “Super GM Doug Wilson and myself agreed to a deal the other day and I can’t tell you, I am so ecstatic.”

Roenick was one of few bright spots in the Sharks’ post-season, which included the traditional early exit and less than stellar performances from most of their key players. Roenick’s physical play and nose for the net proved to give the ageless one an edge over his opposition, even if he had very little help for his teammates. He’ll look to have another banner year next season and hopefully help the Sharks challenge for the Cup once more.

Roenick, a nine-time all-star, has 509 career goals and 1203 career points in 1321 NHL games. Next season will be his 20th in the league.