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Marian Hossa to Red Wings Leads Moves Affecting the Pittsburgh Penguins
July 2, 2008
Marian Hossa told the Pittsburgh media last week that he would "definitely take less money to play on a winning team." Apparently he was implying that the money didn't have to come from the Pittsburgh Penguins.
On the second full day of free agency, Marian Hossa signed a one-year deal with the Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red Wings worth $7.4 million.
Hossa declined the Penguins' initial offer, said to be a bit more than $7 million annually for five to seven years.
Hossa apparently received numerous offers from several other teams worth a lot more money. The Edmonton Oilers reportedly offered Hossa somewhere in the ballpark of $9 million per year.
This suggests that Hossa's main priority this off-season was not his financial future, but rather giving himself the best opportunity to win a championship. His reasoning as to why he didn't feel like he had a legitimate shot at a Cup in Pittsburgh has me puzzled.
Perhaps he just doesn't like playing in front of sold out crowds every night, which in that case, Detroit will be a great fit for Jokessa.
If the Penguins had known Hossa would have signed a single year deal, they most certainly would have been willing to significantly raise their offer.
Instead, Hossa has departed Pittsburgh to play for the very team he watched hoisting the Stanley Cup on his new home-ice not even one month ago.
Hossa's departure re-established the void at the first-line wing position, a void that the Penguins have been intent on filling since the arrival of Sidney Crosby.
Hossa may not be the only one of the remaining Penguin free agents leaving town.
Jarkko Ruutu has turned down the Penguins' initial two-year offer, but has not committed to any other team as of yet.
Defenseman Brooks Orpik, the most prominent of the Penguins' remaining free agents, still has not committed to any team, after declining an initial offer from Pittsburgh.
The Penguins are rumored to have been in contact with Jaromir Jagr yesterday. Rumors state that the talks were very preliminary and that no offer was made to Jagr by the Penguins organization.
The Penguins are also rumored to be interested in another former Penguin, Markus Naslund of the Vancouver Canucks. No offer has been made, which indicates that the management may use the money that would have gone to Hossa to sign two wingers, instead of one.
Update: Penguins' UFA left wing, Jarkko Ruutu has signed a 3-year, $3.9 million deal with the Ottawa Senators.