Winging It In Motown, a Detroit Red Wings community

It will be up to Babcock to ensure that those playing smaller roles are with the program, or things will unravel in a hurry.

"Obviously, to be able to walk into that locker room, a big part of being successful as a coach is a presence, and Mike's got a presence, and when Mike walks into a locker room, he's not in awe. He's going to take charge," Holland said. "It's easy to say, oh, you've got all these players. Well, there's probably a pretty good chance we're going to face some adversity, whether it's in-game adversity, whether a game is over, and your ability to adjust on the fly to the adversity is going to determine if you're going to have success or not.

"He's dealt with the media, he's dealt with in-game adjustments, he's had all that experience," Holland added. "You get into a game and you're down 2-1 in the second period and nothing's going, you've got to make some adjustments on the fly. You've got to try some different things. You've got to have the confidence to know when, how long to sit tight and when it is time to move."

Through it all, Heatley dodged all media requests for interviews to tell his side of the story. He also chose not to attend linemate Jason Spezza’s wedding in Ottawa and backed out of a speaking engagement in Toronto.

His silence is set to break. Finally.

On the urging of Hockey Canada, the 28-year-old is expected to hold a news conference and teleconference Friday in Kelowna.

"I believe Dany will address the media on the issue prior to the camp," Yzerman said. "In fairness to the Senators’ fans and the media, it needs to be addressed. It has to be addressed."