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These days it seems being a regular 40-plus goal scorer just isn't enough. Dany Heatley has attracted an increasing amount of criticism this year as the Senators have struggled--and his production has dropped off.
Being in the top 5 most highly paid NHL players (only Ovechkin, Crosby, Sundin and Brad Richards are a bigger cap hit), Heatley is expected to deliver accordingly as an impact player.
Some are questioning his value to the Senators--given their massive investment in him as the team's biggest salary. There are even calls to trade Dany Heatley--his NTC notwithstanding.
As The Sun's Chris Stevenson reports this morning, when questions about Dany's performance come from Coach Cory Clouston, the heat on Heatley is being turned up.
Have a read--what do YOU think?
http://www.ottawasun.com/Sports/Senators/2009/02/10/8330826-sun.html
Sniper snipes at assessment
Heatley disagrees with Clouston's view that winger has 'got a ways to go' in Sens' new system
By CHRIS STEVENSON, SUN MEDIA February 10 2009
Senators star winger Dany Heatley is at odds with new coach Cory Clouston over how well Heatley is grasping the new system Clouston is trying to implement. Heatley, who has 22 goals, is on pace for his lowest total in a full season since his rookie year.
New Senators coach Cory Clouston would need a couple of phone books to literally see eye-to-eye with lanky winger Dany Heatley.
Turns out the two aren't figuratively seeing eye-to-eye, either, when it comes to how Heatley is playing since Clouston took over the club from fired Craig Hartsburg just over a week ago.
When asked to assess Heatley's play yesterday, Clouston said:
"He's got a ways to go. He's learning a new system, it's a lot more of a pressure system. He's got to move his feet a little more. But he's getting there, he's getting close.
"My assessment might be different than other people's. He's not where we want him to be and neither is the whole team in general. He's not different. Some guys take a little bit longer. He's obviously not used to a pressure game and being in exact spots where we want him to be. Sometimes it may look like he's not skating when actually he's trying to think a little more rather than react," said Clouston.
"For it to come naturally, it may take some guys a little bit longer. He's not the only guy every once in a while we've noticed, especially on video, you can see it's not quite there, it's not quite in a habitual form for them, sometimes they have to think a little bit more than we would like them to do. Again, it's only been two or three practices. It's coming."
When the subject was brought up to Heatley, he disagreed with the coach's view.
Here's how the question was phrased:
Q: Cory says he doesn't think your game is where it's usually at or where it should probably be at. He thinks maybe you're pressing too much. Is that fair?
Heatley replied: "No. I don't feel that way right now. I think I'm just trying to shoot the puck. I've had some good chances, like I said, last game, and it's kind of funny. The way I go, if a goal goes in and you play horribly, you guys all say everything is great and if you play well and the puck doesn't go in, you're playing bad, so ... I'm just going to keep trying to shoot the puck and eventually they'll go in."
NOT A MEDIA FAN
Heatley has always bristled at criticism from us great unwashed in the media -- we apparently only look to see who's scoring goals to see who's playing well -- but there is no misunderstanding his coach's assessment.
Heatley's play needs to improve and the coach was not talking about scoring goals here, though that would help.
Heatley has 22 this season (eight in his last 26 games) and is on pace to score 36, which would be his lowest total for a full season since his rookie year with Atlanta in 2001-02, when he had 26.
Bad seasons happen and Heatley isn't alone on the Senators this year.
"Everybody's numbers aren't there," said Jason Spezza, Heatley's linemate. "We haven't won very many games as a team. When the team struggles and we have 125 goals or whatever it is, everybody is going to be down. If everybody's numbers were where they should be, we wouldn't be talking about it, we'd be in first place. It goes with the territory. When the team has a bad year, individuals do, too, usually."
Clouston, who will take his team on the road today for a five-games-in-seven-days trip starting tomorrow night in Buffalo for a rematch with the Sabres, said he's encouraged by what he's seen from his club, which has a 1-1-1 record since he arrived.
"A nice progression," he called it. "I guess we've showed there is actually a lot character in that dressing room. We've battled from a 2-0 deficit (against Boston), we got up 2-0 as well (against Buffalo on Saturday) with all the momentum against us and we didn't break. Once they scored (the Sabres) second goal we turned the play back on and applied a lot more pressure to them and had opportunities to score in regulation."
"The general feeling is it's going a little better around here," said Spezza.
For most.
Being in the top 5 most highly paid NHL players (only Ovechkin, Crosby, Sundin and Brad Richards are a bigger cap hit), Heatley is expected to deliver accordingly as an impact player.
Some are questioning his value to the Senators--given their massive investment in him as the team's biggest salary. There are even calls to trade Dany Heatley--his NTC notwithstanding.
As The Sun's Chris Stevenson reports this morning, when questions about Dany's performance come from Coach Cory Clouston, the heat on Heatley is being turned up.
Have a read--what do YOU think?
http://www.ottawasun.com/Sports/Senators/2009/02/10/8330826-sun.html
Sniper snipes at assessment
Heatley disagrees with Clouston's view that winger has 'got a ways to go' in Sens' new system
By CHRIS STEVENSON, SUN MEDIA February 10 2009
Senators star winger Dany Heatley is at odds with new coach Cory Clouston over how well Heatley is grasping the new system Clouston is trying to implement. Heatley, who has 22 goals, is on pace for his lowest total in a full season since his rookie year.
New Senators coach Cory Clouston would need a couple of phone books to literally see eye-to-eye with lanky winger Dany Heatley.
Turns out the two aren't figuratively seeing eye-to-eye, either, when it comes to how Heatley is playing since Clouston took over the club from fired Craig Hartsburg just over a week ago.
When asked to assess Heatley's play yesterday, Clouston said:
"He's got a ways to go. He's learning a new system, it's a lot more of a pressure system. He's got to move his feet a little more. But he's getting there, he's getting close.
"My assessment might be different than other people's. He's not where we want him to be and neither is the whole team in general. He's not different. Some guys take a little bit longer. He's obviously not used to a pressure game and being in exact spots where we want him to be. Sometimes it may look like he's not skating when actually he's trying to think a little more rather than react," said Clouston.
"For it to come naturally, it may take some guys a little bit longer. He's not the only guy every once in a while we've noticed, especially on video, you can see it's not quite there, it's not quite in a habitual form for them, sometimes they have to think a little bit more than we would like them to do. Again, it's only been two or three practices. It's coming."
When the subject was brought up to Heatley, he disagreed with the coach's view.
Here's how the question was phrased:
Q: Cory says he doesn't think your game is where it's usually at or where it should probably be at. He thinks maybe you're pressing too much. Is that fair?
Heatley replied: "No. I don't feel that way right now. I think I'm just trying to shoot the puck. I've had some good chances, like I said, last game, and it's kind of funny. The way I go, if a goal goes in and you play horribly, you guys all say everything is great and if you play well and the puck doesn't go in, you're playing bad, so ... I'm just going to keep trying to shoot the puck and eventually they'll go in."
NOT A MEDIA FAN
Heatley has always bristled at criticism from us great unwashed in the media -- we apparently only look to see who's scoring goals to see who's playing well -- but there is no misunderstanding his coach's assessment.
Heatley's play needs to improve and the coach was not talking about scoring goals here, though that would help.
Heatley has 22 this season (eight in his last 26 games) and is on pace to score 36, which would be his lowest total for a full season since his rookie year with Atlanta in 2001-02, when he had 26.
Bad seasons happen and Heatley isn't alone on the Senators this year.
"Everybody's numbers aren't there," said Jason Spezza, Heatley's linemate. "We haven't won very many games as a team. When the team struggles and we have 125 goals or whatever it is, everybody is going to be down. If everybody's numbers were where they should be, we wouldn't be talking about it, we'd be in first place. It goes with the territory. When the team has a bad year, individuals do, too, usually."
Clouston, who will take his team on the road today for a five-games-in-seven-days trip starting tomorrow night in Buffalo for a rematch with the Sabres, said he's encouraged by what he's seen from his club, which has a 1-1-1 record since he arrived.
"A nice progression," he called it. "I guess we've showed there is actually a lot character in that dressing room. We've battled from a 2-0 deficit (against Boston), we got up 2-0 as well (against Buffalo on Saturday) with all the momentum against us and we didn't break. Once they scored (the Sabres) second goal we turned the play back on and applied a lot more pressure to them and had opportunities to score in regulation."
"The general feeling is it's going a little better around here," said Spezza.
For most.
