SAN JOSE, California (Reuters) - The San Jose Sharks continued their busy offseason overhaul by swapping Dany Heatley for fellow forward Martin Havlat in a trade with the Minnesota Wild on Sunday.
After snaring All-Star defenseman Brent Burns in a
separate deal that sent forward Devin Setoguchi to the Wild, the Sharks are hoping to utilize Havlat's breakaway speed to improve on consecutive unsuccessful trips to the Western Conference finals.
"When you are looking at high-end speed breakaway players that like to play in big moments, Marty is at the top of that list," San Jose general manager Doug Wilson told reporters on a conference call.
"He's a hockey player that wants to play in big situations and that is a thing that we think is an important part of his makeup."
The 30-year-old Havlat recorded 22 goals and 40 assists last season for the Wild and despite not playing in the post-season since 2009, the Czech winger does have 49 career playoff points in 67 games.
Heatley enjoyed a two-year run with the Sharks that saw him notch 39 goals and 43 assists in the 2009-10 campaign, along with 26 scores and 38 assists last season.
The nine-year veteran underperformed in the playoffs, however, and was unable to lead San Jose to their ultimate goal of a Stanley Cup finals appearance.
After snaring All-Star defenseman Brent Burns in a
separate deal that sent forward Devin Setoguchi to the Wild, the Sharks are hoping to utilize Havlat's breakaway speed to improve on consecutive unsuccessful trips to the Western Conference finals.
"When you are looking at high-end speed breakaway players that like to play in big moments, Marty is at the top of that list," San Jose general manager Doug Wilson told reporters on a conference call.
"He's a hockey player that wants to play in big situations and that is a thing that we think is an important part of his makeup."
The 30-year-old Havlat recorded 22 goals and 40 assists last season for the Wild and despite not playing in the post-season since 2009, the Czech winger does have 49 career playoff points in 67 games.
Heatley enjoyed a two-year run with the Sharks that saw him notch 39 goals and 43 assists in the 2009-10 campaign, along with 26 scores and 38 assists last season.
The nine-year veteran underperformed in the playoffs, however, and was unable to lead San Jose to their ultimate goal of a Stanley Cup finals appearance.
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