Let's Consider - Marian Hossa

by FrankD on Jun 7, 2008 9:00 AM EDT in Rumors Comment 29 comments

Of all the drama surrounding free agents and re-signings and blah blah blah; let us not forget one of the biggest names [potentially] on the market - Marian Hossa. Some believe he wants the cash, others say he'll be willing to stay for a Cup. See what Hossa himself had to say about the ordeal.

"If I wanted to make a couple more dollars, I would probably just re-sign with Atlanta. But I'm glad Pittsburgh got me here. This was a fun journey for myself, and a great experience. I hope I can stick with a great team like this. ...

Marian Hossa - Trib Review

I want to believe it; I really do. I just can't see, even still, how Pitt will manage to hold on to him. The UFA situation is no doubt a peculiar one for the Pens (and one Pensburgh will be covering like flies on dung), so it's really hard to even speculate how management will handle this one. But if those words hold true, and Sid/Geno/Malone start to gel with Hossa; then look out.

A vote of confidence on this one:

"There's always a limit, but I'd rather take a little less and play on a good team, definitely."

Admit it - when he first came to the team and left midway through his first game with a knee sprain, you forever cursed the Hockey Gods and waited patiently as your Flyers/Rangers/any other team friend sent you a text, e-mail or message to just laugh in your face. Everyone called it lunacy, everyone thought it would backfire on the Pens (which it kind of did initially), but hardly anyone expected the kind of run he'd have in the playoffs. "He sucks in the postseason" they said, "he's a waste of ice" they reasoned. Wrong. This guy was a huge contributor to Pitt's postseason run, accumulating 12 goals and 26 points in the quest for Stanley.

Let's play the hypothetical GM game. As discussed in Stros Bros fanpost following Pitt's loss, we all somehow got on the topic of "who should stay and who should go." So, how much do you think Hossa could be had for and who do you think may wind up on the outskirts of a re-signing with the Pens because of it?

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I fear that

Hossa will sign for no less than what Crosby is making… and I feel that’s too much. I think Hossa is a very very good winger, but he’s not good enough to be the top winger on a team. He just can’t carry a team like Crosby/Malkin can and have. Obviously this is just my opinion and some/many people may disagree.

I’d rather keep the pieces that got the Penguins to the playoffs than keep Hossa… I’d like to keep the team exactly how it is, but that just doesn’t seem possible. To me, it seems to come down keeping Hossa, or keeping Orpik and Malone and maybe a player like Ruutu(who I think helps this team).

Here is a link to show most of the Penguins contract status’ if you are interested.

Go 'Stros!

by Stros Bro on Jun 7, 2008 11:33 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

The NHL has shown that the younger players are making more money earlier on, and start to ween away from the big numbers as they age. This plays a factor in the Hossa deal because he’s 29 years old, the prime age for a guy looking to make some big cash before he becomes just ‘another 30-year-old’ in the league. Don’t get me wrong, he still has some great years ahead of him. But for each year he ages, those knee injuries he sustained earlier in his career become bigger factors in whatever contract he can manage to work out with whoever wants him. Guys like Hossa are huge, but they are the Jagrs to the Lemieuxs, the Federovs to the Yzermans and St. Louis to Lecavaliers. In other words I agree – he doesn’t have ‘leadership’ stamped on his forehead.

FrankD from Pensburgh.com

by FrankD on Jun 7, 2008 11:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

PS

Thanks for the link. I actually grabbed it the other day but forgot to bookmark it. Should’ve, because my power went out and I just never got around to searching for it again. Danke.

FrankD from Pensburgh.com

by FrankD on Jun 7, 2008 11:44 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I love him, but

I’ve gotta say after watching Hossa during the Pens playoff run I think he’s a huge asset. The only problem with his play in the playoffs is it increased what he is worth. He played great which means he’s a hot commodity right now. As I’ve said before, we should do everything short of selling out to keep him. (I’ll take a Jagr and a Federov any day.)

by JDMaker1 on Jun 9, 2008 9:58 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

He’s interested in staying it seems. I guess we’ll see where he officially stands once money comes into play. I don’t expect him to stay for just one year though because it would cost him a lot in the future. I don’t like the waiting game one bit…

FrankD from Pensburgh.com

by FrankD on Jun 9, 2008 11:18 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

What is your best guess for a contract to be announced?

by JDMaker1 on Jun 9, 2008 12:35 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Well definitely before July 1, or else he’s game for anyone. So I’d say within the next week and a half the team will start throwing some numbers at him. Again, I’m not exactly a member of the front office, but that would be my best guess.

FrankD from Pensburgh.com

by FrankD on Jun 9, 2008 1:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

That’s all I was looking for. I’m more familiar with Free Agency in the MLB than in the NHL.

by JDMaker1 on Jun 9, 2008 3:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah July 1 is the date for FAs. After that it’s fair game.

The draft is this weekend and frankly I’m a bit torn on whether I should even touch up on it. I mean, is it something you guys would be interested in? The Penguins don’t have a first round pick, which is part of the reason why I’m hesitating doing anything specific on it.

When is baseball’s btw?

FrankD from Pensburgh.com

by FrankD on Jun 9, 2008 3:18 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Baseball had it’s draft last week.

I’d be interested in a little tid-bit on who we get. But noting that would take a ton of time. We won’t be getting any immediate impact players.

I’m a little cloudy on the NHL draft, I assume it’s more like the NBA where you draft a player and you’re pretty much guaranteed in signing him. In MLB you have a hard time signing a lot of players, it’s strange.

by JDMaker1 on Jun 9, 2008 10:51 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Oh I know baseball had their draft last week, I meant when is their FA deadline? My bad, I should’ve clarified.

The NHL draft is somewhat like the NBA one. You draft a guy for his rights and chances are he’ll play somewhere else for a year or more. Patrick Kane was drafted 1st overall last year and started with Chicago right off the bat, but James VanRiemsdyk was drafted 2nd overall by Philly and will be playing out some time at the University of New Hampshire. Some guys may very well never see the light of day with the team whom selected them. Prime example would be Angelo Esposito who the Pens drafted 20th overall last year, never played a regular season game with Pitt and had his rights traded to Atlanta in the Hossa/Dupuis deal. Throughout all of that he continued to play with the Quebec Remparts, a Quebec Hockey League team owned by Patrick Roy.

All in all, this is what makes the NHL draft slightly non-eventful. But at the same time it really gives you a close look at the up and coming talent within the next season or two and perhaps even a quick name association with those select few who break into the league their first year (Crosby, Lemieux or more recently Kane, (Sam) Gagne).

FrankD from Pensburgh.com

by FrankD on Jun 10, 2008 1:59 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ah. That makes more sense doesn’t it? I think the FA deadline is a week after the World Series ends . . . seven full days.

I’ll have to start getting into the NHL draft. I have to admit I “broke up” with hockey after the lockout and when I stopped playing competitively. I always kept my finger on what the Penguins were doing, but I wasn’t as on top of things. With the rebirth of the Penguins (the purchase of the team by #66, signings/draftings of Crosby, Malkin, & Staal) really got me fired up again. [P.S. HD coverage of hockey is 100 times better than SD coverage, and that doesn’t hurt.]

I must also admit that I didn’t really start following the baseball draft until recently either, but it’s a fickle draft to follow anyway. The NHL and hockey in general is really one of the best sports to watch (especially in HD). It’s fast, exciting, hard hitting, etc. It’s a shame that a lot of American’s haven’t really gotten it yet. I’m trying to convince them one at a time, and the Penguins really helped my cause this year.

by JDMaker1 on Jun 10, 2008 2:33 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

My thinking on Hossa though is that the Pens can’t offer him anything long term without sacrificing elsewhere (although they may be willing to do that). And I don’t see someone as young and talented as Hossa wanting to sign a one-year contract, or anything. He could probably get 5-years, at a good price, elsewhere. Longer contracts offer a lot more stability for these younger guys. He’s not really like a Sundin or Neidermayer who signs for a year at a time because they’re not ready to commit for longer, simply because they aren’t sure how long they want to keep playing, he has a lot of career left, so that’s my biggest concern about re-signing him.

by Dayna on Jun 9, 2008 11:48 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Exactly. No 29-year-old is going to take a one year deal and risk an injury that could limit his earning potential down the road. I think you hit it dead on. Guys like Sundin and Niedermeyer will do those one-year deals because they have a better chance at accruing more over time. Granted they could find themselves on a different team every year, but it’s kind of the way of the world in terms of contracts now.

FrankD from Pensburgh.com

by FrankD on Jun 10, 2008 1:53 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

It sounds like they might have to give up a guy like Malkin to keep Hossa. If that’s the case, you have to take the younger guy. I would like to see them sign Hossa to a longer contract with lower cost per year (say 7 years at $5 or $6M a year), but I’m not as familiar with the salary cap in the NHL as the NFL. Would the contract be all guaranteed? Or, could they do a deal where a lot of it is guaranteed but spread out over a longer contract period, like the NFL does it?

It certainly sounds like he’s interested in staying. We’ll have to see what happens.

by WolfpackSteelersFan on Jun 10, 2008 2:03 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Long contract period. I’m not so sure how a signing bonus would factor in (if any) but I’d think it goes against that year’s cap. If you had to pick than Malkin is definitely the more profitable guy. Age, skill and promise alone would be a bigger investment over three years than a guy like Hossa.

FrankD from Pensburgh.com

by FrankD on Jun 10, 2008 2:34 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

There goes that idea. Oh, well. I would say that if it’s a choice of 3 or 4 good defensive role players or Hossa, the Pens probably need the role players more. They have two of the youngest, best goal scorers in the game. Hossa is a bit of a luxury from that standpoint.

by WolfpackSteelersFan on Jun 10, 2008 4:06 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Agreed. Although I’ve been reading a lot of crap lately where writers are blaming the Cup loss on Fleury. I think that’s pretty pathetic to rag on him.

I suppose those defensive role players are on the clock, so to speak, right now. Ruutu, Orpik and Laraque. Ruutu and Laraque could be had for a fairly cheap price, but since his annihilation of Wings in Game 3 Orpik has really turned some heads around the league.

FrankD from Pensburgh.com

by FrankD on Jun 10, 2008 8:34 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I thought most were saying that Fleury was the main reason they were able to take it to 6 games. Didn’t he face twice as many shots as Osgood?

by WolfpackSteelersFan on Jun 11, 2008 5:39 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Take the win/loss record away

and Fleury could have been a contender for the MVP… blaming the loss on him is down right stupid.

Go 'Stros!

by Stros Bro on Jun 11, 2008 10:54 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah Fleury definitely had his work cut out for him in that series. But the goalie will always be looked at as the fall guy when it comes to something like this. Osgood didn’t outplay him, he was just hardly challenged thanks to his defense.

FrankD from Pensburgh.com

by FrankD on Jun 12, 2008 8:19 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I just find that hard to believe when the Pens didn’t even score a goal in the first two games. That wasn’t his fault. I guess it’s like the QB, though.

by WolfpackSteelersFan on Jun 12, 2008 4:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Exactly. The QB can pass it right into the hands of the receiver but it’s up to him to catch it. With the exception of Game 1, Fleury did what he could to keep the Pens in the games. But you had guys taking penalties and a scoreless offense. Granted Detroit wasn’t THAT good on the PP, but you still can’t afford to give chances when you’re playing on their ice and down 2-0 in the third.

FrankD from Pensburgh.com

by FrankD on Jun 12, 2008 7:44 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Inside Hockey (Fox News)

This is from the same FoxNews site that StrosBro mentioned in a fanpost. . . but this is about right wingers and Marian Hossa.

1. Marian Hossa, Pittsburgh Penguins
29 years old, shoots left
Hossa didn’t have his beast season in 2007-2008. However, he did have a great playoff run for the Pittsburgh Penguins. He is clearly the class of this free agent crop in terms of forwards. Hossa is probably the best two-way winger in the game, and can add so much to the team that ends up signing him.

Prior Salary – 7.0 million
Projected Salary – 8.5 million
Projected Team – Boston Bruins

2008 Free Agency: Right Wing – Inside Hockey

by JDMaker1 on Jun 12, 2008 9:46 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

hah. They just went with Boston because they were the first team to publicly announce their interest in him right after their elimination. Then the Rangers got eliminated and mentioned their interest. I don’t suspect he’ll go to either team. Can the Rangers even afford him?

FrankD from Pensburgh.com

by FrankD on Jun 12, 2008 10:44 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah. The guy on the site said that he basis his projections on “speculation.” It is interesting to note that he picked Hossa to be the best RW FA this year, and from the looks of the rest of the RW FAs he’s correct.

I doubt the Rangers can afford him, unless Jagr retires and some other things happen.

by JDMaker1 on Jun 12, 2008 3:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Jagr is torn between re-signing and retiring. I can honestly say he’s thinking about next year already. The home opener in Prague has him licking his chops to go out the same way he came into the sport. Open his last season on his old stomping grounds? Yeah, I think he’ll stick around for one more year.

But if I had to guess, Shanahan may not be around at all either.

FrankD from Pensburgh.com

by FrankD on Jun 12, 2008 7:45 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs