OT: Hossa to Blackhawks
TSN reports that Marian Hossa will be a Chicago Blackhawk (No $ or term listed), and I have to admit that I could not see this one coming. I thought for sure that he would go to Boston, Montreal or Minnesota. Given how many young players that Chicago has up for new contracts in the next couple of years, Dale Tallon might have just shrunk his team's window for winning the Cup.
12 years, but I have no info on other specifics yet
edit: rumor is that it's around $5m/year average
To give the blackhawks credit, they adapted their management plan after watching Holland and the wings for the last few years. I don't like the hawks, but this is a good move. I don't see how it decreases the odds of winning a cup if the contract is structured like...say....zetterburgs long term deal.
Not sure if it's an adaptation to the Wings' style of management, as much as it is Dollar Bill Wirtz no longer running the show in Chicago.
NHL.tv stream says 12 yr, $5M too.
I wonder if that means that the Hawks will take a pass on resigning Havlat.
Havlat is all but gone as is Khabibulin. Versteeg is rumored to want money that will keep him from returning. Hawks have to think long term and be careful so they can resign Keith, Toews, and Kane once their rookie contracts expire.
Wow, it turns out the wings are screwed. We need some big free agents to keep ahead of Chicago.
Don't worry yet. Chicago will be a contender but they aren't ahead of the Wings. Detroit is still deeper on defense and remember that they beat Chicago even with some key injuries. The days of the easy Central Division title are probably over though.
Our D isn't really that good. Did you watch the Finals?
Agreed.
I really really hoped that they'd take a look at Greg Zanon. The guy led the Predators in shots blocked, penalty kill time, and +/- last year. Too bad he signed with the Wild for 3 years with about a 1.75 million dollar cap hit. Best signing of the free agent period SO FAR by a long shot.
Nice post. I totally agree. Bouwmeester is a close second though, IMO.
I think Bouwmeester was overpaid, but I expected it to happen with all the buzz around him. Calgary traded to get his rights, so you had to imagine that they'd pay top dollar for him. I just don't think he's worth 6.7 million a year. He's young, but as a four year veteran he still hasn't put up a 50 point season.
To put that in perspective, Ryan Whitney of Anaheim had a 59 point season his second year in the NHL and he's making 4 million a year. To be fair though, he hasn't been able to replicate it, and Bouwmeester shows much more consistency.
While he can hold his own in the defensive end, I don't think there is anything special about the deal he signed with Calgary.
In my opinion, it's all about bang for the buck. Jay is a great player, but they're also paying great money for him. Zanon on the other hand, well my god I don't know how the Wild convinced him to sign for so low, but that's a steal in my opinion.
I think Detroit needs to start thinking defense, and SOON! Osgood played phenomenal in the playoffs. So great, most of us have forgotten how poorly he played during the regular season. I might be pessimistic, but I expect regular season Osgood to show up next year and without a strong defense and the loss of Hossa, I just don't see us getting a top seed in the playoffs.
I thought there was no way Hossa could go to Chicago, but I guess I was wrong. No way do they keep Havlat now. They will probably lose some of Kane, Sharp, Toewes, and Versteeg when their deals come due too. I guess they see themselves as a "win now" more than a "win later" team. Surprising that Hossa settled for $5 Mil when only a year ago he was getting long term offers for $8+. In a strange way, I feel sorry for him. He took a gamble by signing a short-term deal and probably lost $30+ Mil worth of gross salary in the long run.
They did the same kind of structure as the Wings long deals. The contract is really about 7 to 8 million a year for seven or eight years. The last four years are all very low salary -- the unspoken assumption is that he'll retire at that point or head to the KHL for a final payday before retiring completely, which would take him off the Hawks books at that point.
There's no way they let either Kane or Toews go under any circumstances. The interesting cases are the other guys. The Campbell contract is the real killer for them right now, he's at best their fourth best defenseman but has a huge contract.
Go Hawks!!! WHOOOOOOO
Commit to the Indian!
Pull out the rabbit
gross.
Can we take Havlat and Palsson from them then? Give Havlat a bit less than we were offering Hossa, and take on Sammy P for some grit (I'd like to get rid of Maltby)
12 years!
In other awesome hockey transaction news, the Caps have signed Flyers RW and former Wolverine Mike Knuble to a 2-year deal. Knuble is an annual lock for 82 games played and 25 goals; he's a superb replacement for Fedorov.
Knuble was a great pick up for the Caps.
edit: and Khabibulin for the Oilers, as my twitter feed just updated
I'm keeping my fingers crossed by not holding my breath for a Gaborik to the Wings deal. I would literally pee my pants if it happened.
I thought Knuble could have been gotten for less, but the Caps aren't tight up against the cap. Slightly overpaid in my opinion, but a good pick up for the caps none the less. They have no physical presence on that team, and could use Knuble's toughness.
As for the Wings, I'm guessing they have about 3 million to spend depending on who they can dispose of on defense. Anything more than a role player or fringe 2nd line forward is a pipe dream.
You can get all the cap information here. http://www.hockeybuzz.com/cap-central/team.php?team=DET
Scotty Bowman works for Chicago now. Has the last few years.
just one year, happened in july of 08 iirc
I think he was an advisor or in a different capacity before it was official.
This is the worst place for Hossa to go.
Agreed. It would have been funny if he went back to Pittsburgh though.