Report: RW Heatley agrees to six-year extension with Senators

Oct 3, 2007 - 10:21 PM TORONTO (Ticker) -- Ottawa Senators right wing Dany Heatley has agreed to a six-year contract extension believed to average $7.5 million per year, TSN of Canada reported Wednesday.

Heatley had 50 goals and 55 assists last season en route to leading the Senators to their first berth in the Stanley Cup Finals. He played a key part in that surge, amassing seven tallies and 15 assists in the postseason.

Heatley also reached the 50-goal, 100-point plateau in the 2005-06 season in Canada's capital after being acquired from Atlanta for Marian Hossa and defenseman Greg de Vries in August 2005.

The timing of the deal was essential for both sides, as Heatley's representatives stressed that if the sides could not come to an agreement before the start of the season, talks would be shelved until the end of the campaign. The Senators open their season on Wednesday against their provincial neighbor, the Toronto Maple Leafs.

"We were able to work on a structure (of the contract) throughout the day and were able to find a structure that works for both," Heatley's agent J.P Barry told TSN. "Dany is very excited. He's had nothing but success in Ottawa and he's thrilled to be on board long term with one of the best teams in hockey."

Heatley, who was selected second overall in the 2000 draft by the Thrashers, took the NHL by storm upon his arrival in 2001-02. He won the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie and recorded a hat trick en route to MVP honors in the All-Star Game the following season.

The 26-year-old has 180 goals, 209 assists and 292 penalty minutes in 354 career games.

"This is a great agreement for Senators fans, Dany, the organization and NHL hockey in Ottawa for years to come," Senators owner Eugene Melnyk told TSN. "Under the challenges of our current collective bargaining system, this agreement goes to show the quality of (general manager) Bryan Murray and his management team to be able to put this agreement together to ensure long-term championship-level hockey in the nation's capital."