Dany Heatley

San Jose Sharks' general manager Doug Wilson won't dare mention the name Dany Heatley, but don't let the sounds of silence fool you.

The Sharks remain a possible landing spot for Heatley, providing, of course, the Ottawa Senators' on-again, off-again trade talks with the Edmonton Oilers are finally dead.

Wilson, you'll recall, promised to do whatever was necessary to shake up his team after it underachieved yet again in the spring, bounced in the first round of the playoffs by the Anaheim Ducks after winning the NHL regular season title.

"Is this the final time we have to get kicked in the (butt) to realize we're going to commit to whatever it takes to get to the next level?" he asked disappointed fans after the club's elimination.

That fiery, passionate comment came more than two months ago. Since then, Wilson's biggest moves have been re-signing forward Fermeuse native Ryane Clowe, as well as defencemen Rob Blake and Kent Huskins.

As for the promised shakeup? Nothing.

Sharks fans are desperately waiting for something, anything, to put the past behind them. Will Wilson finally unload captain Patrick Marleau, who has been a team leader during so many Sharks collapses? Keep in mind that Wilson has already talked to Marleau, who owns the dreaded no-trade clause, about giving up the team's captaincy.

San Jose is believed to be one of Heatley's preferred destinations, primarily because the Sharks are a high-scoring, front-running team - at least in the regular season - allowing him plenty of opportunity to score 40 or even 50 goals, and to shine with the man advantage. If Jason Spezza is one of the top playmaking centres in the Eastern Conference, Joe Thornton fits the bill in the West.

The Sharks are pushing the salary cap limit of $56.8 million US for the 2009-10 season.

However, San Jose's only major long-term commitment is to defenceman Dan Boyle, who' ll make an average of $6.7 million per season until 2014.

If the Senators were willing to take back most of Heatley's salary in the form of another player or two - Marleau has one year and $6.3 million remaining and Jonathan Cheechoo has two years and $6 million left - there could be room for a deal.