Heatley Deal With Edmonton Not Officially Dead

In what has become the most confusing newsstory in recent memory, the deal sending Dany Heatley to the Edmonton Oilers is not officially dead. According to TSN's Bob McKenzie, Heatley has not refused the deal outright, he simply has not waived his no movement clause at this time. Basically, he's looked at it, and done nothing, which he has a right to do.

You see, as it turns out, the July 1st bonus does not have to be paid until 11:59pm on July 1. This means that the Sens have all day tomorrow to find Dany Heatley a home so that they are not stuck with paying the $4M advance on his $8M salary for the 2009-2010 season.

And Dany? According to Heatley's agent, J.P. Barry:

"Dany is going to sleep on it"

So, that's where we stand. Dany Heatley is still an Ottawa Senator (as long as he doesn't have nightmares), but he came closer to leaving the team than he ever has, and that deal is still on the table - or is until either Heatley rejects it or someone else ups the ante.

Honestly though, if Heatley ultimately refuses to waive the NMC, it's hard for me to decide if he's the villain or the hero. I mean, he's being selfish and making free agent frenzy a complete mess for Bryan Murray tomorrow. But at the same time, he also stops us from taking on Dustin Penner's contract, which is a bonus.

However, if this trade doesn't happen, then I would not want to be Oilers' GM Steve Tambellini - there might be an awkward meeting coming up with Smid, Cogliano, and Penner.

Expect to hear a lot more about Heatley in the next 24 hours.