Sweet Summer for free agents

[Opie 308]

Sure, the allure of money and the unknown was also present, especially with the litany of moves made by the Lightning, who have new ownership and a new coach, and made no fewer than five free-agent signings on top of their major trade with the Sharks. Still, the Hossa signing in Detroit at once caught everyone off guard, proving that all things being more equal than ever, players are now able to make personal decisions based on their hockey wants, needs and desires more so than ever before.

Hossa left long-term money and tenure on the table to play for the Red Wings. Some would say he is crazy for inking only a one-year contract for just less than $7.5 million when the Pittsburgh Penguins offered nearly $7 million per annum over seven seasons. But that view misses the point. Hossa had options. He could pick and choose based on his perspective and no one else's. The Red Wings have cache right now as a hockey destination because of how they play, how they win and how they treat their players. Hossa accepted a mercenary short-term deal that didn't pay more than the Red Wings' artificial cap of "no one should make more on this team than captain Nik Lidsrom."

That made sense to Hossa and it didn't have to add up for anyone else, which is the ultimate definition of market independence. It's an extreme case on its own, but the NHL signing period has proven like never before that free agent equals free to choose.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writ...ex.html?eref=T1

Good article about Players being able to get what they want, and not having to choose the offer they like best, but can choose to do what they like and in some cases (Hossa) they can lead the negotiations instead of waiting for the team to offer them something!

[XxGoWingsxX 0]

Oh for sure. I was pleasantly surprised with Hossa, as it just proves that no matter how good an athlete someone may be, they may still be modest, and in a position to make a decision on what they want as far as their hockey career goes. In this case, Marion Hossa decided that the chance at winning a cup far outweighed his immediate want for millions of dollars. The feeling of winning a cup, and the bragging rights is not something that can be bought. It is something that has to be earned through your play. Hossa saw something special with the wings, and he of all people should know...he was in fact on the ice with them when he lost his chance to win the cup this year.

It actually sickens me that people are calling him dumb for not taking tons of money....but..in my eyes the reason he decided to play for the wings for so little money for only one year is this....we quite possibly might not have this strong of a team in the 09/10 season. He felt that our team is ripe for a repeat and he wanted to give it a shot when the chance was at it's best. All these reporters and other players etc calling him stupid for not taking the money...well it just shows where their priorities would lay. I think Hossa was smart as....if the wings aren't able to keep him next year, theres going to be one hell of another bidding war in the next offseason over him....the money will still be there next season. Hossa thought about it and decided that hey...the wings are the hottest team in the sport right now, if i join....it GREATLY increases the chance of a repeat...and if we win it or not....if they can't keep me, i'll receive more offers next year.

Theres no ABSOLUTE guarantee that he'll be offered as much as he was this year, but thats a risk he wanted to take for a chance at the cup. Lets face it...Hossa is one hell of a player, who is near his prime, and the money will still be there next year....will his shot at a cup be as great next year? Possibly not....like i said the wings are the most talented team in the league right now and that could very well change next year so hossa said f*** it, i'll strike while the iron is hot.

[Dabura 12,232]

Hossa is in a great spot right now.

In all likelihood, he's looking at a Cup this season. Even if he doesn't get it and decides to walk, he could very well have a "breakout" season working with this kind of supporting cast. That would obviously be a big selling point in fielding offers from other clubs. Plus, he's proven himself to be a class-act -- not just with this signing, but also during the SCF, as he was the first (and, now that I think about it, probably the only) Penguin to man up and say his team was being beaten by a superior defensive system, not by "itself" or "biased officiating" or s*** like that. Not to mention the fact that he was one of only three or four Penguins who really made an impact.

As for the article's overall point -- eh, hasn't it always sort of been the case that high-profile UFAs have freedom in deciding what to do? If anything, I'd say the realities of the cap era make it harder for guys like Hossa to get exactly what they want. True, overpayment is still the norm, but if this weren't the cap era, Holland would probably be paying more than 7.4 for Hossa's services.