Heatley's agent speaks

Heatley's agent, J.P. Barry, strongly opposed the notion that the Oilers' package was the only good deal on the table.

"Bryan insists that he never really had any other options, which I completely disagree with," Barry told ESPN.com on Thursday from Stockholm, where he went to broker the Sedin twins' deals. "I believe there were several potential options. I think it was clearly their intent to trade him to Edmonton and only Edmonton. That was the approach they took.

"I specifically told him two days ago, long before the trade happened, 'Do not trade him to Edmonton until you have other options.' And he turned around and consummated the trade despite my request. The result of which is that I get a phone call from a guy that I really respect in Steve Tambellini, who was excited, and I had to inform him what happened.

"I think it was completely mishandled by [Murray]. It was a pressure tactic. He loaded up the gun and put the gun against our heads."

Barry said the Rangers, a team that was on Heatley's list of desired destinations, had a good offer on the table.

"Based on my understanding of the discussions that took place with the Rangers, the options the Rangers provided were every bit as good, or better, than the options provided by Edmonton," Barry said. "But I'm sure Bryan has a different opinion of that." JP Barry

This won't dent the unending media storm slagging on Heatley, but its worth noting that it looks like my suspicions were entirely correct, Murray simply used the Oilers as a way of both driving up the price and punishing Heatley and had no intention of actually trying to trade him to a team on his list. It also explains why Heatley wasn't written off by the Oilers - they knew they weren't on his list and they knew they would have to convince him to accept the trade.

More good stuff from Colby Cosh;

"If JP Barry's account is at all accurate, Bryan Murray committed a fraud on the Oilers and inflicted objective harm on them, and if the NHL weren't being run by blind idiot children some recourse would presumably be available. Of course, all the evidence suggests that Barry is either unable or unwilling to provide the most rudimentary protection for Dany Heatley's reputation and marketability—I had understood this to be part of an agent's job, and indeed a particularly significant part of that job in a world of controlled salaries—so who knows whether he has the story straight. And the Oiler front office can only whine that it has been a victim of unfair dealing so many times before the fan says "You know, fellas, maybe the problem is that you're just really crappy negotiators?"