The rumor mill has begun to churn regarding superstar winger Marian Hossa. Move aside, Peter Forsberg and Mats Sundin. You've been replaced in the revolving Detroit Red Wings rumor mill.

The latest name said to have caught the Wings' attention is superstar right wing Marian Hossa of the Atlanta Thrashers. Hossa is having a mediocre season, to his standards at least -- even after scoring a hat trick against the Red Wings. With 42 points in 44 games, however, it is not Hossa's performance that has led to talks of a possible trade. 

The Thrashers are in danger of losing the 6'1" 210-pound winger, as he becomes a free agent July 1st and so far contract negotiations have not gone well between Hossa's agent Ritch Winter and general manager Don Waddell. The Thrashers would rather acquire assets for Hossa than let him walk for nothing in July. 

According to TSN's Bob McKenzie, "Marian Hossa is going to the market...Sources say Hossa is telling friends that he expects to be traded before the NHL trade deadline on Feb. 26."

After seeing Hossa light up the Red Wings in their own building on Tuesday, USA Today's Kevin Allen wonders if he was putting on an "audition" of sorts for Detroit management: "Although the Thrashers would still like to re-sign Hossa, the consensus around the NHL is that Hossa wants a change of venue. Maybe he wants to come to Detroit. It sure looked that way to me as I watched Hossa play his best game of the season. The Red Wings would certainly be interested in Hossa, but they might not be first in line because they might not have the assets necessary to get a deal done."

Even veteran Wings defenseman Chris Chelios suggests that the Wings may be interested. In a WCSX radio interview, Chelios stated "he's almost positive that the Wings' front office is looking at Hossa." 

Here is where things become interesting.

If the Red Wings are indeed interested in Hossa, who do they give up? In this writer's opinion, the Red Wings will only be interested in landing Hossa if he is willing to sign an extension to remain a Red Wing. Is he worth Jiri Hudler, high draft picks, and a prospect or two? 

The answer is "yes". Hossa, being extremely proficient in all three zones, would fit right into the system coach Mike Babcock has instituted in Detroit. He is one of the few trade deadline commodities that would be worth a large amount of assets largely due to his age. He is only 29 years old, six months younger than Pavel Datsyuk. Other options that have been mentioned, such as Mats Sundin and Rob Blake, would be purely rental players whom are past their respective primes. Hossa, on the other hand, is in the midst of his prime.

Hossa would add to an already strong top-six core of forwards including Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, and Valtteri Filppula for years to come. The Wings' active roster as well as their prospects lack a true scoring winger. Hossa definitely fits that bill. He would add to an already potent powerplay and virtually erase most secondary-scoring worries. 

An interesting aspect of a Hossa-trade is the fact that the Thrashers are currently in a playoff position. However, they could easily slip out as they are tied with Carolina with 48 points on the season. The Southeast Division is probably the weakest division in the league. Currently, Atlanta is third in the conference (division winners are guaranteed a top-three seed) and Carolina is ninth. Next is Florida sitting at twelfth place with 44 points. It is quite possible that only one team from the division (the division winner) makes the post-season. If Atlanta is still contending for a playoff position by the deadline (and talks remain stagnant), the Thrashers will want more active roster players than if they are on the outside looking in. 

The biggest stumbling block regarding a potential Hossa trade is the salary cap. The Red Wings have enough cap space this season to acquire Hossa (or virtually any player) but another large salary could spell trouble down the road. 

Hossa will likely command a lot, as he has been one of the most consistent offensive forces in the NHL over the past few seasons. The Red Wings are already on hook for the large salaries of Pavel Datsyuk ($6.7 million), Brian Rafalski ($6 million), Nicklas Lidstrom ($7.45 million), and Niklas Kronwall ($3 million). 

These four players amount to $23.2 million alone. Henrik Zetterberg is due for a contract extension July 1st and general manager Ken Holland has stated he is the team's priority. Also due up for extensions are winger Dan Cleary (who is a UFA after this season) and center Val Filppula (who is a RFA after this season). 

However, in an October interview with the Detroit News, Ken Holland stated, "Zetterberg is an unrestricted free-agent in '09. Look at our team -- three-quarters are probably unrestricted either in the summer of '08 or the summer of '09. We like a lot of our players, and we better be in a position to commit to them. Now, would we like to be able to add one or more real top player in either the summer of '08 or '09? I think over the next 12 months, if we can get a lot of these guys signed long-term and know where we're at, now maybe we can go get one more star player."

Since the interview, the Red Wings have locked up Nicklas Lidstrom (two years), Chris Osgood (three years), and Kris Draper (three years) to contract extensions. 

Marian Hossa could end up being the "star player" that Holland was referring to. A Hossa acquisition would depend a lot on the Red Wings' plans for the future.

Hopefully they would like him to be a part of it.