The Dany Heatley camp still wants a trade, the Ottawa Senators now want a more substantive reimbursement, and the Edmonton Oilers are not yet saying where they stand in the maelstrom that began brewing earlier this week.

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Dany Heatley

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Having had to fork over $4 million --a bonus that was due at midnight on Wednesday--Senators general manageer Bryan Murray does want more than Dustin Penner, Andrew Cogliano and Ladislav Smid. The three Oilers were being offered up by Edmonton GM Steve Tambellini in exchange for the sullen sniper.

The deal was essentially scuttled by Heatley, who would not waive his no-trade clause--in spite of a face-to-face meeting with Tambellini and president Kevin Lowe on Wednesday evening.

"(The deal) is different now," Murray said Thursday at a news conference in Ottawa. "And I don't know if we will continue (with Edmonton) or not. ... Very definitely, it's not the same deal as it was (Wednesday)."

Heatley's agent, J. P. Barry, claimed that Murray must have had other trading partners, and that it would have been impossible for his client to make a decision if he only had one team to consider.

"I specifically told him two days ago, long before the trade happened, 'Do not trade him to Edmonton until you have other options.'And he turned around and consummated the trade despite my request," Barry told ESPN.com."I think it was completely mishandled by (Murray). It was a pressure tactic.

"He loaded up the gun and put the gun against our heads."

Tambellini still wasn't available for comment on Thursday, but suffice it to say the Oilers would have unloaded Penner and his $4.25-million salary and would have picked up the one-shot scorer they have needed for a long time.

Securing help in the free-agent market may not be an option, something Murray discerned after seeing the moves of the past two days while he awaited Heatley's decision.

"Edmonton was the one offer that was somewhat legitimate," Murray said.

Rangers general manager Glen Sather chose instead to invest $37.5 million on unrestricted free agent Marian Gaborik, and didn't give up any assets in the process.

Los Angeles Kings assistant general manager Ron Hextall said before the draft that, while a high-scoring left-winger was what his club needed, he wasn't sure Heatley was the right fit --not after he signed a big contract, then said he couldn't play for rookie head coach Cory Clouston.

"That's three coaches he's had trouble with. That raises a red flag for us," Hextall said at the time.

This has also left Smid, Cogliano and Penner wondering what's next. The three know that they were deemed expendable by the club --assuming that the Oilers don't yet reach another agreement that suits Heatley.

Others like goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin, who just signed on with Edmonton, will watch and see what unfolds.

"It's a pretty good story around the NHL. Any team would love to have a 50-goal scorer, but I don't know what's going to happen," he said.

Tambellini, meanwhile, is expected to speak today.

A trade partner cannot offer cash under the NHL's collective bargaining agreement, but deputy commissioner Bill Daly has suggested that the Senators could file a grievance.