If you don’t think Dany Heatley is still a star in the NHL, then maybe you should ask him. He’ll gladly tell you that he’s still an All Star. Telling about Heatley is the fact that he has played for  four different franchises in his ten-year career. I’m not saying that Dany Heatley isn’t the best teammate in the world, but that is a telling statistic.

In the fantasy world nobody cares if you happen to be a lousy teammate or a locker room pariah. Production is all that matters, and no one in hockey was happier than Dany Heatley when his team signed the two most coveted free agents this summer.

The arrival of two proven stars to Minnesota means that Heatley will get the help he needs in the offensive end of the ice. He struggled to a seven-year low in goals, assists and points in the 2011-12 campaign. The Wild raced out of the gates last year, but were crushed by a series of injuries and missed the playoffs.

While Heatley managed to avoid the injury bug, most of his time on ice was spent with second and third line caliber players. The Wild’s second leading scorer was Mikko Koivu with 44 points in 55 games.

If the 2012 season ever gets under way look for a renewed fire under Heatley’s backside. The fans in Minnesota are loyal but smart enough to know that Heatley is, and should be better than he was last season. If they think he’s dogging it for even a second, they’ll ride him out of town to team number five.

When he’s on, Dany Heatley has the size and skill to be an elite scorer. His back-to-back 50-goal, 100-point seasons in Ottawa are hardly a fluke. He played with an equally talented roster in San Jose, but failed to equal his numbers with the Senators.

Heatley may never hit 50-goals or 100-points again, but at age 31, he has plenty left in the tank. He also has the last two years of his six-year $45 million contract to play for. Heatley is worth a look in the fourth or fifth round if he is still available. His stock will fall because of last year’s production, but he’s due to break out again. After all, he’s Dany Heatley and he’s a bleepin’ All Star.