Chicago Blackhawks: Marian Hossa's Contract Shouldn't Induce Buyer's Remorse

The Chicago Blackhawks made a splash in the summer of 2009, signing free agent Marian Hossa to a 12-year, $62.8 million contract. At the time, the move was seen as taking another step closer to the Stanley Cup.

Two summers later, circumstances have changed. It's not surprising that a lot of fans have come down with a case of buyer's remorse.

There is little denying that those feelings exist. Are those feelings justified?

Here's the simple answer. The 'Hawks brought Hossa in to help win in the playoffs; the team went on to win the Stanley Cup the following year. No fair whining about another ten years of Hossa's $5.275 cap hit when the prize we hoped for has been attained.

It's like buying a new car: You just have to accept that the value of your purchase plummets the second you drive it off the dealer's lot. That doesn't mean you don't have a sweet ride.

That said, what kind of ride can the 'Hawks expect to get from Hossa in the future?

Well, first off, some would say that Hossa was more of a late-model purchase, seeing as how he hit town nursing a surgically-repaired shoulder. Hossa has played in just 122 of 164 possible regular season contests in the past two years.

Hossa began the 2009-10 season in dominating fashion, potting seven goals in his first seven games to go with 11 points in that span. He finished the regular season with 24 goals and 27 assists for 51 points.

In between, there were two injury stints.

Hossa missed five games with an upper-body injury. After looking out-of-sorts in his next ten games, a collision with Nick Boynton in practice resulted in a knee injury that sidelined Hossa for almost a month.

Hossa was a very solid player in the second half of the season, just not the dominating one we wanted following his hot start. 

When healthy, Hossa had Tomas Kopecky and Michael Frolik centering his line for stretches. Despite a preference for bringing the puck into the offensive zone, Hossa was hampered when the 'Hawks were short at center.

Hossa's health is the obvious place to start when discussing his future productivity. He played 74 games with Detroit in 2008-09 and 72 games the season before with Atlanta and Pittsburgh. At 32, can the 'Hawks can realistically expect 82 games out of Hossa? Probably not.

However, Hossa played in eight more games in the 2010-11 season than the season before. If he shows similar improvement in this area, we could expect to see him in as many games as he's played since 2006-07.

A true center on his line for a complete season would benefit Hossa, which is something that should be addressed this summer.

Can Hossa be a 100-point scorer again? It doesn't appear likely, but it's not far-fetched to think the Blackhawks should get three or four more quality seasons out of him. That depends on Hossa's body more that anything else; as we know, it's difficult to say with certainty how a player will hold up.

Hossa did help bring a Cup to Chicago and might help win another before he is done. Just remember that long-term signings don't come with a warranty.