Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun says in his blog that the Heatley-to-Edmonton deal has been killed by Heatley, and that he will play for the Senators next season. Hard to imagine that. But the Senators are on the hook for the $4 million, and the price…

Scott Gomez is out, sent on his way to La Belle Province while Chris Higgins comes home to Broadway. And Gomez’s $7.357 million is leaving too. I don’t think you can fully judge this move until we see what else Glen Sather does tonight, tomorrow or over the next few days, but this looks like a pretty smart beginning.

An area that the Rangers hoped would be a strength two years ago when they signed Gomez and Drury for almost $87 million combined, now enters an interesting state of flux. Drury and Brandon Dubinsky remain, while Gomez departs and Blair Betts looks likely to follow. Recently acquired Brian Boyle will compete for Betts’ slot, and Lauri Korpikoski is capable of playing the middle - though this clearly opens the door even wider for guys like Artem Anisimov and Evgeny Grachev to make the team.

And should the Rangers make a big splash by acquiring a marquee winger - say, Dany Heatley? Just an example, of course - who centers him? For now Dubinsky looks like the logical candidate, so if the Sens demand him in a package for Heatley, the Rangers really can’t afford to do that anymore. Can’t go into the season with Drury and three centers with little to no experience.

The Gomez deal makes it unlikely the Rangers will close a move on Heatley tonight anyway. They now have some flexibility to look elsewhere - they’re not compelled to move money in order to take on money. At this point, though, I’m surprised Heatley is still a Senator.

It’s no secret how Gomez never really found his way in his two seasons on Broadway, much as he wanted badly to play in New York and succeed there. His contract was a hindrance, and finding a willing taker while getting back a player like Higgins is a stroke of good fortune and good business. Higgins made $1.7 million last year and his price going forward is yet to be determined - he is an unrestricted free agent who has received his qualifying offer, and Sather said he didn’t foresee any problems signing him.

I’ve watched Higgins since he was a college player and have always thought highly of him, so I tilt toward liking the deal. He’s a nice winger who can score - 27 goals in 2007-08 before an injury-plagued year, with a failure-plagued Canadiens team last season, in which groin and shoulder injuries limited him to 57 games and only 12 goals in a contract year. (”Winger who can finish”? Sign the Rangers up.)

In all, here’s the trade: Gomez, forward Tom Pyatt and defenseman Mike Busto to Montreal for Higgins, former first-round pick Ryan McDonagh and Pavel Valentenko, both blueliners. The Rangers also get the rights to defenseman Doug Janik, who becomes a UFA tomorrow and will be a Ranger for about 21 hours. Once Janik’s conference call is scheduled, we’ll let you know; in the meantime, here’s some reaction from Glen Sather and Chris Higgins tonight:

Sather said he began discussing the deal when he sat with Habs GM Bob Gainey on the dais at the Canadian Society Dinner on June 22. “We started discussing our strengths and what we could do to improve each other,” Sather said. “That’s where it started.”

“It gives us a lot more options and the availability to do other things. We’re not up against the cap now. We have a lot of cap room. It makes the options more inviting.”

On Gomez: “I think Scott is a very good player, a real good guy. I’ve got no complaints about him. He works hard. He was exceptional with the team and in the dressing room. I think he’ll do very well in Montreal.

Higgins grew up in Smithtown, L.I., rooting for, of all teams, the Canadiens. It was his dream come true when they traded up to draft him at No. 14 in 2002 - now he says he has a new “dream come true” and is “absolutely thrilled.”

“Definitely very surprised. I did not expect to be traded,” Higgins said. “I heard my name thrown around ever since I’ve played in Montreal. You never think it’s actually going to happen. You always think it’s just somebody in the Montreal media making something up.”

If you’re wondering, Higgins said he has not yet talked with fellow Long Island product and ex-Habs teammate Mike Komisarek - a UFA tomorrow - about the prospect of coming to the Rangers. Not that it’s likely to happen.

UPDATE: TSN is reporting that the Senators and Oilers have agreed on a deal that would send Dany Heatley to Edmonton for Andrew Cogliano, Dustin Penner and Ladislav Smid. That deal couldn’t go through until Heatley OK’s it.

My birthday was on Sunday but I got my best gift today. Scott Gomez, the ringleader of the Skating Judases, is no longer a New York Ranger. And, while that in and of itself should be enough, it’s sooo much better then that. Not only is his smirking face gone, so is his ponderous contract. And, [...]

Well, stud winger Dany Heatley was almost a Ranger, but in the end it appears he will be a quasi-Ranger (also known as an “Edmonton Oiler.”) TSN is reporting that Heatley has been asked to waive his no trade clause…

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