Hossa to DET

[crzymike]

...this is interesting from the tsn article...

The $7.4 million that Hossa will earn next season, is the most Detroit would pay anyone - even an unrestricted free agent. The Red Wings were insistent that no one earn more money than six-time Norris Trophy winner Nicklas Lidstrom.

I guess that Zetterburg extension isn't coming anytime soon then.

They have datsyk signed forever for $6.7 million, i zetterberg accepts about a $7 million deal.

Zetterberg taking 8.5 is a paycut imo.

I read Detroit wont pay ANYONE on the team more than Lidstrom... don't know if it's accurate or not.

Apparently not since they gave that traitor Hossa more then Lidstrom.

[duke66]

...i have no problem with hossa leaving, or leaving to play for detroit of all teams...i'm just bummed out that he's gone...but the silver lining is of course, the pens won't be strapped by a long term deal when they have "in house" signings to take care of with MAF, geno and staal...

[AlexPKeaton]

I don't get what the problem is with that? Why should he not do that? I know people are upset because it's the Pens and all.... I just don't see how he was greedy in the slightest.

He took a one year deal to go the team he felt he had the best chance to contend next year. He could have gotten much more from someone else to go play and not contend, but he took less money to stay on a contender, it just happened to to be the Wings instead of the Pens.

I didn't call him greedy. I said I lost respect for him. Why? Cowardice, not greed.

[duke66]

Ok, after puking over this i now have a new perspective.
One, we have money to throw around now, and two next year
he is ufa in a lot better ufa group which should lower his
cost a bit. Im not saying we should try to get him back but
maybe it will have a little affect on the big names values
for next year.

the way i see it unless we get two of huselius, demitra, jagr and naslund we're going to be worse than last year any way you slice it.

How so? Give specific reasons to support your claim.

Who have we lost so far?

Malone -- numbers were inflated from playing with Crosby/Malkin.. His presence will be missed, but he can be replaced.

Hossa -- wasn't picked up until the trade deadline, so his impact on the regular season was minimal.

BGL -- Didn't really play, and when he did, he was trying to be a forechecking playmaker, not an enforcer (like his job is). Goober will play a little more than George and fight more.

Let's not forget -- as someone said earlier -- Recchi started on a line with Crosby, and Crosby was injured for an important stretch. The team matured over the course of the season, and I can't see them regressing.

I was of the mentality -- at the beginning of last year -- that there was no way we would be able to make the playoffs, because the team couldn't rely on that late season push that they did the year prior. I was wrong, I'm not making the same mistake this year.

...nice post cosmo...do not under-estimate a team with crosby and malkin on it...or u will suffer the consequences!!...

[newarenanow]

I don't get what the problem is with that? Why should he not do that? I know people are upset because it's the Pens and all.... I just don't see how he was greedy in the slightest.

He took a one year deal to go the team he felt he had the best chance to contend next year. He could have gotten much more from someone else to go play and not contend, but he took less money to stay on a contender, it just happened to to be the Wings instead of the Pens.

I didn't call him greedy. I said I lost respect for him. Why? Cowardice, not greed.

So all the players posters say should play for Pittsburgh because they are a championship team are cowards?

[PenguinSteve-o]

now we need Orpik to take cheap shots and runs at Hossa whenever we play them.

[crzymike]

I don't get what the problem is with that? Why should he not do that? I know people are upset because it's the Pens and all.... I just don't see how he was greedy in the slightest.

He took a one year deal to go the team he felt he had the best chance to contend next year. He could have gotten much more from someone else to go play and not contend, but he took less money to stay on a contender, it just happened to to be the Wings instead of the Pens.

I didn't call him greedy. I said I lost respect for him. Why? Cowardice, not greed.

If you are suggesting he took the easiest and most likely scenario where by he can hitch a ride on an already cup saturated team, I agree.

[knives of ice]

i don't lose any respect for him. he obviously is signing to win with detroit because doing a 1 year deal is CRAZY. he better have big insurance because if he got hurt badly this year he is screwed.

going someplace like edmonton that is years away from winning would have been worse

[HeyNow71871929]

There is no doubt in mind that two top flight wingers are now a must for this team. Getting Jagr appears to be a must at this point. There aren't many guys out there who can replace Hossa and his numbers. So Jagr and Naslund HAVE to be brought here by Shero. He's not going to overspend but if the proce is right, bring in Jagr and Naslund. Absolute must now, in my opinion.

[Jasmine]

I don't like staying sad, so here's the way I look at this . . .
Pens have two of the top three players in the world and another trade deadline March 2009. Therefore, we might well make it back to the playoffs next season, and it would be sweet to kick some Hossa butt!

[The Snapshot]

I don't think Malone was worth a 7 year deal, but our situation would have been a lot less urgent now if he were still in the fold.

Now, out two best wingers are gone along with about 60 percent of the available alternatives..........thanks Hoss.

At least his actual decision proves that he is VERY interested in winning - to the tune of giving up at least $44M. For that, I cannot be angry about his choice. I only wish we cut that cord at 12:01 yesterday and went harder at some of the guys who signed at good value.

I think Malone was gone regardless. But it could cost us Orpik.[/quote]

I really respect and admired what Malone gave last year on the ice. Even in the periods where his scoring ebbed, he was an obvious leader on the ice. Those that did not see that have their "Malone is inconsistent" glasses on.

He earned the right to be a leader on this team, and then in comes Hossa - who in a few months pushed Malone to the side in terms of priorities. I believe that the Pens were never aggressive enough in their pursuit before it got to the final weeks before UFA.

He was a leader who did everything in his power for the team, and they never showed him enough "love". Then, folks were hoping he was going to give the hometown discount, which is an emotional action. His decision was never emotional because we gave him the tools to remove himself from the emotional piece of the decision.

[Dan H]

If I were Hossa, and had to choose between 50 mil over 7 years from Pittsburgh or 7.4 mil over 1 year from Detroit, I think I would have picked Pittsburgh. The extra security from the 7-year contract is worth more than the $257,000 difference in year one (assuming a flat salary over 7 years). Also, the Pens have more players who should get better over time (Crosby, Malkin, Staal, Whitney, Fleury, Letang...) than those whose skills might be expected to decline (Gonchar, Sykora). That's reversed for the Wings, who have a bunch of their best players around that age-27 typical statistical peak (Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Cleary, Kronwall...), a few much older (Lidstrom, Rafalski...), and not many emerging stars under 25. And the Pens play the regular season and playoffs against a weaker Eastern Conference. In light of all that, Hossa's decision just doesn't make sense to me. It isn't pure financial greed, or he would have taken a larger offer. It isn't even going to the Cup-contending team that offered him the best contract, or he would have re-signed in Pittsburgh rather than taken the slightly bigger one-year deal. It must be something else. I kind of wonder if, as a previous poster hypothesized, the Pens did their long-term salary cap math and realized that they would have to move him after a year, so the best they could do is a deal without a NTC, maybe even back-loaded a bit so the team to which he was traded would pick up more of the tab. His experience playing on a non-contending team in Atlanta soured him to the idea, and he opted to take a risk and jump to one of the only other teams in the league with as good a chance of contending for the Stanley Cup next year. Maybe he'll eventually make some public statement explaining it. I don't know. For now, I'll just wish him the best, except when he's playing the Pens of course, and hope Mr. Shero can locate some skilled wingers for the top two lines.

[AlexPKeaton]

I don't get what the problem is with that? Why should he not do that? I know people are upset because it's the Pens and all.... I just don't see how he was greedy in the slightest.

He took a one year deal to go the team he felt he had the best chance to contend next year. He could have gotten much more from someone else to go play and not contend, but he took less money to stay on a contender, it just happened to to be the Wings instead of the Pens.

I didn't call him greedy. I said I lost respect for him. Why? Cowardice, not greed.

So all the players posters say should play for Pittsburgh because they are a championship team are cowards?

No, I'm saying if you are with the 2nd best team in the league, with the best center in the league, and they present you with a better deal, at least have the balls to want to win the cup with that team. If he was just some random FA that didn't make a long playoff run with the team I wouldn't think this way.

[ekoostik9]

Ok, after puking over this i now have a new perspective.
One, we have money to throw around now, and two next year
he is ufa in a lot better ufa group which should lower his
cost a bit. Im not saying we should try to get him back but
maybe it will have a little affect on the big names values
for next year.

the way i see it unless we get two of huselius, demitra, jagr and naslund we're going to be worse than last year any way you slice it.

How so? Give specific reasons to support your claim.

Who have we lost so far?

Malone -- numbers were inflated from playing with Crosby/Malkin.. His presence will be missed, but he can be replaced.

Hossa -- wasn't picked up until the trade deadline, so his impact on the regular season was minimal.

BGL -- Didn't really play, and when he did, he was trying to be a forechecking playmaker, not an enforcer (like his job is). Goober will play a little more than George and fight more.

Let's not forget -- as someone said earlier -- Recchi started on a line with Crosby, and Crosby was injured for an important stretch. The team matured over the course of the season, and I can't see them regressing.

I was of the mentality -- at the beginning of last year -- that there was no way we would be able to make the playoffs, because the team couldn't rely on that late season push that they did the year prior. I was wrong, I'm not making the same mistake this year.

...nice post cosmo...do not under-estimate a team with crosby and malkin on it...or u will suffer the consequences!!...

one more thing... He is not in the east

[Cosmo_kramer]

If I remember correctly, you were not a proponent of bringing him back anyhow. If you can't understand why people here are disappointed or are upset about this development thats your issue. He took the easy path to win a championhip. Is that smart, yes. Is it smart to take a one year deal and potentially give up millions of guaranteed dollars? No it isnt. He made it sound as if he thought highly of Pittsburgh and wanted to stay, it's not like this team can't contend with him. Without him though its a serious blow. People arent likely gonna react well to that, nor should they!

I'm not speaking for Newarena, but I'll share my annoyance with fans. I'm not annoyed that they are disappointed he left. I understand and share that sentiment. He was a great player, and his presence (no matter how short it was) will be missed and will leave a hole.

I am, however, annoyed at people that are pissed at Hossa for leaving and are "acting like babies" over it. Hossa has done what was best for him in his eyes.

Let's for a moment look at this scenario. If he DID sign with Pittsburgh, he would get almost the same deal he got with Detroit. He would, however, receive less than he is getting now. No matter how you argue it, he would. This deal allows him the best chance to get the Cup and get more money in the end. This is because it only ties him down to a lesser-money'd contract for 1 year. After this year he can go get his 9 million dollar deal.

If he had signed with Pittsburgh, he would've been stuck at 7-7.5 million for 6 years.

I just don't understand the fans that are complaining because he 'snubbed' the city, the team, and the fans. Him signing with another team does not mean he hates the team and the city, it means that he agreed to the deal he thought was the best for him.

[Psychlone]

Maybe Hossa will get dealt again at the deadline since he only signed a 1 year deal. How weird would that be if the Penguins reacquired him then.

[Eismann]

Who's organizing the Hossa shirt-burnin' communal cleansing?

[crzymike]

If I remember correctly, you were not a proponent of bringing him back anyhow. If you can't understand why people here are disappointed or are upset about this development thats your issue. He took the easy path to win a championhip. Is that smart, yes. Is it smart to take a one year deal and potentially give up millions of guaranteed dollars? No it isnt. He made it sound as if he thought highly of Pittsburgh and wanted to stay, it's not like this team can't contend with him. Without him though its a serious blow. People arent likely gonna react well to that, nor should they!

I'm not speaking for Newarena, but I'll share my annoyance with fans. I'm not annoyed that they are disappointed he left. I understand and share that sentiment. He was a great player, and his presence (no matter how short it was) will be missed and will leave a hole.

I am, however, annoyed at people that are pissed at Hossa for leaving and are "acting like babies" over it. Hossa has done what was best for him in his eyes.

Let's for a moment look at this scenario. If he DID sign with Pittsburgh, he would get almost the same deal he got with Detroit. He would, however, receive less than he is getting now. No matter how you argue it, he would. This deal allows him the best chance to get the Cup and get more money in the end. This is because it only ties him down to a lesser-money'd contract for 1 year. After this year he can go get his 9 million dollar deal.

If he had signed with Pittsburgh, he would've been stuck at 7-7.5 million for 6 years.

I just don't understand the fans that are complaining because he 'snubbed' the city, the team, and the fans. Him signing with another team does not mean he hates the team and the city, it means that he agreed to the deal he thought was the best for him.

What should we do have a damn party? The guy played exceptionally well for us. His skillset is phenominal, his backchecking and defensive play a master piece. He was our best player in the playoffs. This just happened for heavens sake (losing him)! It's not like he's a component that is easily replaceable. We arguably lost one of the top 10 players in the game. If you cant understand peoples dismay your very naive.

[Troy Loney]

If I remember correctly, you were not a proponent of bringing him back anyhow. If you can't understand why people here are disappointed or are upset about this development thats your issue. He took the easy path to win a championhip. Is that smart, yes. Is it smart to take a one year deal and potentially give up millions of guaranteed dollars? No it isnt. He made it sound as if he thought highly of Pittsburgh and wanted to stay, it's not like this team can't contend with him. Without him though its a serious blow. People arent likely gonna react well to that, nor should they!

I'm not speaking for Newarena, but I'll share my annoyance with fans. I'm not annoyed that they are disappointed he left. I understand and share that sentiment. He was a great player, and his presence (no matter how short it was) will be missed and will leave a hole.

I am, however, annoyed at people that are pissed at Hossa for leaving and are "acting like babies" over it. Hossa has done what was best for him in his eyes.

Let's for a moment look at this scenario. If he DID sign with Pittsburgh, he would get almost the same deal he got with Detroit. He would, however, receive less than he is getting now. No matter how you argue it, he would. This deal allows him the best chance to get the Cup and get more money in the end. This is because it only ties him down to a lesser-money'd contract for 1 year. After this year he can go get his 9 million dollar deal.

If he had signed with Pittsburgh, he would've been stuck at 7-7.5 million for 6 years.

I just don't understand the fans that are complaining because he 'snubbed' the city, the team, and the fans. Him signing with another team does not mean he hates the team and the city, it means that he agreed to the deal he thought was the best for him.

I'm sure if he asked for a one year $7.4 million deal the pens would have complied. I think the irritation is justified. he took a below market deal to play for probably the only team that doesnt really need him.

[bill from turtle creek]

If Hossa wants to win a Cup, he picked the right team. Why would he pick the Pens over the Wings for the same money? They are a better team, the organization treats its players extremely well, it's a great market, and it plays a Euro style. It's an absolutely perfect fit for Hossa.

For a one shot deal at a Cup, he made the right decision. Kudos to him for not taking a huge money deal with Edmonton, and kudos for doing what he said he was going to do.

[Cosmo_kramer]

If I remember correctly, you were not a proponent of bringing him back anyhow. If you can't understand why people here are disappointed or are upset about this development thats your issue. He took the easy path to win a championhip. Is that smart, yes. Is it smart to take a one year deal and potentially give up millions of guaranteed dollars? No it isnt. He made it sound as if he thought highly of Pittsburgh and wanted to stay, it's not like this team can't contend with him. Without him though its a serious blow. People arent likely gonna react well to that, nor should they!

I'm not speaking for Newarena, but I'll share my annoyance with fans. I'm not annoyed that they are disappointed he left. I understand and share that sentiment. He was a great player, and his presence (no matter how short it was) will be missed and will leave a hole.

I am, however, annoyed at people that are pissed at Hossa for leaving and are "acting like babies" over it. Hossa has done what was best for him in his eyes.

Let's for a moment look at this scenario. If he DID sign with Pittsburgh, he would get almost the same deal he got with Detroit. He would, however, receive less than he is getting now. No matter how you argue it, he would. This deal allows him the best chance to get the Cup and get more money in the end. This is because it only ties him down to a lesser-money'd contract for 1 year. After this year he can go get his 9 million dollar deal.

If he had signed with Pittsburgh, he would've been stuck at 7-7.5 million for 6 years.

I just don't understand the fans that are complaining because he 'snubbed' the city, the team, and the fans. Him signing with another team does not mean he hates the team and the city, it means that he agreed to the deal he thought was the best for him.

What should we do have a damn party? The guy played exceptionally well for us. His skillset is phenominal, his backchecking and defensive play a master piece. He was our best player in the playoffs. This just happened for heavens sake (losing him)! It's not like he's a component that is easily replaceable. We arguably lost one of the top 10 players in the game. If you cant understand peoples dismay your very naive.

Did you miss the first line? Where did I say I don't understand the disappointment in fans? I understand what he brings to the table and I understand the hole he leaves on the team.

I just don't understand the people making him out to be Jagr when he left. And you can't tell me people aren't saying that.

What I want... No party. How about disappointment without the questioning of why he hates Pittsburgh and that it's Therrien or the city or the fans, and that hopefully he gets hurt?

[Gaucho]

Maybe Hossa will get dealt again at the deadline since he only signed a 1 year deal. How weird would that be if the Penguins reacquired him then.

Only if the Wings were to miss the playoffs, which is highly unlikely. It would also be bad management to give up even more draft picks/prospects/whatever to acquire him again and then again failing to sign him long-term.

[Doogs]

I can't say I'm angry, more likely dissappointed, but it's his right. I kinda wish he would have told us this yesterday though. Would have saved me time on the net, and a bunch of dirty looks from the wife and kids .

[crzymike]

If I remember correctly, you were not a proponent of bringing him back anyhow. If you can't understand why people here are disappointed or are upset about this development thats your issue. He took the easy path to win a championhip. Is that smart, yes. Is it smart to take a one year deal and potentially give up millions of guaranteed dollars? No it isnt. He made it sound as if he thought highly of Pittsburgh and wanted to stay, it's not like this team can't contend with him. Without him though its a serious blow. People arent likely gonna react well to that, nor should they!

I'm not speaking for Newarena, but I'll share my annoyance with fans. I'm not annoyed that they are disappointed he left. I understand and share that sentiment. He was a great player, and his presence (no matter how short it was) will be missed and will leave a hole.

I am, however, annoyed at people that are pissed at Hossa for leaving and are "acting like babies" over it. Hossa has done what was best for him in his eyes.

Let's for a moment look at this scenario. If he DID sign with Pittsburgh, he would get almost the same deal he got with Detroit. He would, however, receive less than he is getting now. No matter how you argue it, he would. This deal allows him the best chance to get the Cup and get more money in the end. This is because it only ties him down to a lesser-money'd contract for 1 year. After this year he can go get his 9 million dollar deal.

If he had signed with Pittsburgh, he would've been stuck at 7-7.5 million for 6 years.

I just don't understand the fans that are complaining because he 'snubbed' the city, the team, and the fans. Him signing with another team does not mean he hates the team and the city, it means that he agreed to the deal he thought was the best for him.

What should we do have a damn party? The guy played exceptionally well for us. His skillset is phenominal, his backchecking and defensive play a master piece. He was our best player in the playoffs. This just happened for heavens sake (losing him)! It's not like he's a component that is easily replaceable. We arguably lost one of the top 10 players in the game. If you cant understand peoples dismay your very naive.

Did you miss the first line? Where did I say I don't understand the disappointment in fans? I understand what he brings to the table and I understand the hole he leaves on the team.

I just don't understand the people making him out to be Jagr when he left. And you can't tell me people aren't saying that.

What I want... No party. How about disappointment without the questioning of why he hates Pittsburgh and that it's Therrien or the city or the fans, and that hopefully he gets hurt?

I took exception to your notion that people are acting like babies about it. Thats what I was speaking too and I don't agree at all. As far as MT or that he doesn't like the city, I know I didnt bring that up.

[TheWizardOfCros]

im just really hoping the pens make it back to the finals next year and beat the wings.... i would love to see the look on hossa's face as he was forced to watch from the losing side for the second straight year