When Marian Hossa spurned the Penguins, they acted quickly to replace him and ended up back in the Finals

Excellent post. I think you hit it right on the head with this line:

Would the Penguins be where they are now if they still had Hossa and less depth?

That’s exactly it. I mean, it’s certainly hard to say whether the Pens would be here again with Hossa but there’s no arguing Pittsburgh’s added depth this season. Don’t forget Ruslan Fedotenko too. That guy is having one hell of a playoff run so far. If Pitt re-signs Hossa Tenk plays somewhere else.

I think having the depth ultimately trumps in the end, but we still have a series to decide that. One guy can get hurt. One guy can slump. But to have a solid reserve of three to four consistent guys who go out and do their job every game really gives Pitt the egde, imho.

I could care less about Hossa. He missed a long-term deal that guaranteed money right before the league will likely take a bit of a hit to the salary cap. Good luck testing that in the offseason – and landing with a “good” team for a long time no less. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t giddy in thinking he may walk away without the Cup once again.

I would add that the lack of depth would have been a killer this postseason had Hossa signed (and the other pieces had fallen as you suggest). With Hossa (and without Staal, Kunitz and Guerin), the Pens would have been a more skilled but softer team. One that might easily have folded against either the Flyers or the Caps.

The subtext to this post is that all Pens fans owe Ray Shero a big tip of the hat. Given the number and consequence of the decisions that had to be made this past offseason, and given the adversity the team went through during the regular campaign, the job Shero did on the personnel end really is remarkable.

I hope we can be gracious to Hossa. The guy did something any of us could understand. He took a chance to win a championship. He didn’t take the long term stability of the Pens deal. Or the big bucks of the Oilers deal. He went with the "franchise" who offered him the best chance to hoist the cup. I know it sucks when a big time player leaves for another city. But at least Hossa did it for the respectable reasons. I also think this is a case of the best deals are sometimes the ones you don’t make. I like the Pens financial flexibility. And I also think Guerin, or Jagr could be a realistic addition next year. Who knows.

But to summarize I don’t like the fact that Hossa left for the Red Wings, but I can respect that move. I hope others can as well.

That Detroit did not, in fact, “jump in with a proposal”…

H0$$A called THEM. Told his agent to call Ken Holland at the gas station and whore him out.
“One-year deal? Make less money than Lidstrom? Sure! Any male bodily organs I can give you? Why not?”
Holland was surprised and amazed. This was not something he seriously planned for.
Good on Marian for chasing and sacrificing for his dream, but he’s a craven tool. If he wanted to go running to Detroit, he could’ve been a bit more explicit about it. A “there’s one other team I need to see about July 1 and I’ll let you know” would’ve been more courteous than leaving everybody hanging, believing he’d be back.

What an amazing write by Hooks, I am sincerely impressed with your analysis. I see it much in the same way. In a salary cap sport you need to make choices and in this case the choice was simple; one of the best players to play with the two best players in the game or depth.

I told my buddy last summer when Hossa left it was actually a good thing. Signing Hossa would have meant no Orpik and frankly D-men like him don’t grow on trees. Seriously, the Pens have had heavy hitters, Kasper-Ulffy, but none that were as defensively responsible as Orpik. The Pens have some good young D-men in the system, but none of them play the game the way Orpik does.

Not signing Hossa also freed up money to go after other guys. Gratned, in the regular season, Tenks and Satan did not live up to expectations, but have played major roles, Tenks especially, during the playoffs; which is what really matters.

Not getting Hossa also made it viable to keep and sign long term Jordan Staal. Now, I am not of the opinion that Staal is going to turn into a 30-40 guy. I just don’t see it as a third line center, which is all he will ever be as a Penguin. But, he has seemed to embrace his role as a third line checking center and frankly a tribe needs cheifs and indians.

The depth created by not keeping Hossa will lead the Pens to a cup victory in 6 or 7 games for I feel that the Crosby and Malkin are playing like crazed animals that can not be stopped. Detroit will play better D than any other team the Pens have seen thus far and 87-71 will not be putting up rediculus numbers, but they will still be a force. Detroit has 2 ligit lines as well so you figure they cancel each other out. It comes down to 3rd and 4th liners (depth players) to get that 1 goal a game to tip the scales and I love our bottom 5-6 guys more than theirs. I love our goalie when compared to theirs, and with a less than 100% Lindstrom in the lineup I dare to say I prefer our D to theirs.

Question Penguin nation, with all that has been said about whether it was a good or bad thing to let Hossa go do we boo or dare I say cheer Hossa on Igloo Ice? I can be argued that Hossa leaving was the best thing to ever happen to the Pens. Thoughts…..

Lastly, do the Pens keep playing 7 D? It was worked, but I think the Pens are going to need to role 4 lines to wear the WIngs out. But what has Boucher done to deserve getting a seat in the press box? Plus playing 11 forwards means more of what the Pens have best, centermen.

great writeup hooks. i think its safe to say that had we signed hossa we wouldnt be here today. no brooksie is a blow to this defensive core that i dont think they can handle.

If I take off my Black and Gold glasses personally I applaud Hossa for what he did. He went to Detroit for less money looking for the opportunity to win a championship. In my mind that is commendable. Now, as a Pens fan it is a little insulting to hear that he thought Detroit gave him the best opportunity this year instead of sticking it out with the guys he just went all the way to the finals with. In the end though, it benefited the Pens. Don’t forget that Malkin didn’t sign his contract till after Hossa left town too. Is Geno’s contract as big or as long term with Hossa in town?

It’s one thing when a star player chooses not to sign with your team; that happens, and shouldn’t be taken to heart. Then again, the way in which Hossa handled the situation with the Pens was, in retrospect, spectacularly lacking in class. If you really want to play for another team, that’s your call to make; making public statements about how your current team isn’t good enough for you is unnecessary and insulting.

Ultimately, being a professional hockey player is about more than just you and your success. Being part of a team and part of a community is important also. What Hossa showed Pittsburgh last offseason is that the team didn’t matter to him and that he didn’t care about the fans here. He’s just a mercenary. And I like my team more without him.

I am a pens fan, and I say put Eric Godard on the game 1 roster just to slam the but end of his stick into Hossa’s face and knock him out of the series. the result would be a certain suspension but hey…..Pittsburgh would be happy.

Better yet getting back to reality, just go win the dam cup and make him realize if he just stayed he’d be a Stanley Cup champ!!! Go Pens!!!!

amazing post. lets go pens.