Holland "Not Optimistic" about re-signing Hossa

[russianswede919293 95]

This is kind of ridiculous. Does anybody truly expect him to sign a contract for a 4 million dollar cap hit. He is the best free agent available this season, and he turned down big money once, he won't do it again. Not because he is a bad person, because he isn't stupid. Hossa asking the team for a 6 million cap hit is already a pay cut to what he can get on the open market, 4 million is not a number i would expect him to settle with. Does he want to be a Red Wing, I still think so. Do we want to keep him, I still think so. Does it work for either party financially, hell no.

Hossa was great here, and he wasn't the only no-show in the finals, anybody not named Zetterberg or Ozzie was really a no show in the finals.

I loved the year Hossa spent here, and I wish him luck and will cheer him anywhere he goes, maybe not the team he is on, but him I will cheer for.

[C20lw 0]

I really don't know how to feel about the whole Hossa situation. He is a great player that was a huge benefit in the regular season. Idk what happened in the playoffs either he choked or got pressured too much to make anything happen. But can we sign him and still fill the roster? He gave us a great year, but is it worth losing some depth? Id like to see him next year, but if we can't sign him Im not gonna be upset.

Howard as backup does worry me.

[RedWingsFanatic 4]

Hossa can be the difference between a 1 spot or a 9 spot. I'd take him back any day.

This is one of the most ludicrous things I've ever heard.

Honestly, if the guy is taking this long to decide, I don't want him back. Everybody asking "do you really expect him to take a a pay cut of a couple million dollars?" The answer is yes. Yes, I do. If he wants to win, he can stay here for an extended period of time making below market value. But he'll win. If that's not what he's interested in, he can go elsewhere and make more money while drifting away into obscurity.

I'm not going to blame him if he goes elsewhere for more money, but that's not a Red Wing. So, good riddance.

[hoogs 8]

I'm fine with Hossa leaving, in the cap world that is just the harsh reality. You cannot sign everyone you want to. I am just glad we have Dats, Zetts and Mule locked up long term.

[titanium2 867]

This is one of the most ludicrous things I've ever heard.

Honestly, if the guy is taking this long to decide, I don't want him back. Everybody asking "do you really expect him to take a a pay cut of a couple million dollars?" The answer is yes. Yes, I do. If he wants to win, he can stay here for an extended period of time making below market value. But he'll win. If that's not what he's interested in, he can go elsewhere and make more money while drifting away into obscurity.

I'm not going to blame him if he goes elsewhere for more money, but that's not a Red Wing. So, good riddance.

With the way the Wings structure long term deals Hossa isn't even taking that much of a paycut. After he plays out the years in which he gets fair value the Wings, at least as of today, can just buy him out of those years in which he's supposed to get 1million.

At the same time, I suspect that Hossa is home in Slovakia trying to get away from hockey. I wouldn't be surprised if he's not even thinking about the negotiation process right now and would rather not think too much about it and instead allow his agent to work out the best deal for him while he knows deep down he'll eventually take whatever is available. Not saying that is what is happening for sure, just saying I wouldn't be surprised.

[VM1138 1,921]

Essentially the same team was a 1 seed minus Hossa and a 2 seed with him. His leaving won't drop the Wings down to 9. But more scoring depth never hurts with the division likely to get tougher...

If he takes a bigger money offer to leave, I won't hold it against him. He already gave up cash to come to Detroit for a year.

No I won't treat him like a traitor like the Pens fans did - he came on a one year deal and nothing is ever guaranteed after that.

On paper. Everyone looks at this on paper. Without Hossa this year, it's undeniable that the Wings would have been limping into the playoffs. It doesn't matter if this roster won in 2008, it's near impossible to win multiple cups with identical teams, because players have outstanding years and then disappear the next. And no one can say individuals on this team played better than in 2008. Hossa carried this team (along with Datsyuk) during the regular season and very well could have been the difference between 2 and 9.

[Heroes of Hockeytown 694]

Hossa can be the difference between a 1 spot or a 9 spot. I'd take him back any day.

Not to pile on the flak you're catching for this one, but I think it's pretty reasonable to say you could take any one skater off the Wings' roster and it wouldn't hurt their playoff chances at all; even Nick, Hank, and Pavel. There are very few teams that can make a claim like that.

Edited June 29, 2009 by Heroes of Hockeytown

[therock48880 14]

Many, including myself loved him until he was a no-show for 6 of the most important games of our season last year.

So, do you no longer love Hudler, Sammy, and all of the other Wings that didn't show up for the finals?

Btw, it was a seven game series.

Edited June 29, 2009 by therock48880

[egroen 384]

Holland is still reluctant to pay anyone over Lidstrom's salary in a single year -- which is kind of annoying.

He could have really front-loaded Zetterberg's and Franzen's contracts, but he did not... and was still careful not to pay him more than Lidstrom in 09/10 (Hank makes $7.4).

10 8 6 6 3 2 2 1 1 1 = $40m

All that money up front might be attractive, but Holland would never do it because it is more than the $7.45 Lidstrom makes next year.

So instead he is probably offering something like:

7 7 6 6 4 3 3 2 1 1

Same cap hit, but the first contract would be a lot more desirable to me.

[Dimaline312000 51]

When will we know something about Hossa? I guess I should have used my head a little more before I bought that Hossa Jersey at this past season's Training Camp. I guess I'll have to go after and Abdelkader Jersey in September. Damn I'm bummed, but I guess it's not the end of the world.

[13dangledangle 968]

This Hossa hate is simply ******* ridiculous. Stats or no stats, it amazes me how everyone loved him until now and suddenly half of us might as well be Penguin fans. My message to you people: f*** off. It's not like he's screwing the franchise if he bails out for more money. He was a rental, and we loved having him here, don't forget that.

Your man love for hossa also seems to be ridiculous, who cares what people think, some love him and some won't/can't. So him leaving makes part of the fun come from the debate afterwords so telling everyone who doesn't agree with you to "f*** off"...bravo, so if he goes to LA are you going to become a kings fan so u can blow him there?

Edited June 29, 2009 by 13dangledangle

[T-Ruff 47]

I hope we know soon, it's getting close to Holland's self imposed deadline

[OsGOD 3]

So, do you no longer love Hudler, Sammy, and all of the other Wings that didn't show up for the finals?

Btw, it was a seven game series.

Nope totally different (they aren't the highest paid, supposedly the marquee players on the team) You read about the injuries they had to over come (the balance of the team) and sadly the one that never showed up on that piece of paper either (oddly) was Maid Marian himself. Just a case of "too much pressure" i guess.

as for sammy how could i no longer love him when i never loved him to begin with??

.... yeah i can count the number of games... he did some stuff in the 5-0 win.. or so i was told so i left that one out... don't worry i am edumacated just fine

Edited June 29, 2009 by OsGOD

[Vilmer 0]

I'm not saying the Wings would MISS the playoffs, I'm just saying losing 40+ goals of offense a year... sucks.

[RedWingsFanatic 4]

Agreed, but they fared better without him the year previous. I'm not saying they wouldn't have won with Hossa in '08, but he's some magic potion that is necessary for success.

[therock48880 14]

Nope totally different (they aren't the highest paid, supposedly the marquee players on the team) You read about the injuries they had to over come (the balance of the team) and sadly the one that never showed up on that piece of paper either (oddly) was Maid Marian himself. Just a case of "too much pressure" i guess.

as for sammy how could i no longer love him when i never loved him to begin with??

.... yeah i can count the number of games... he did some stuff in the 5-0 win.. or so i was told so i left that one out... don't worry i am edumacated just fine

Oops, I thought you were one of the ones who spent half the season defending Sammy.

Yeah, Hossa did play well in game 5. Actually, he played well in all of the games except game 6 in which case he disappeared. He led the team in shots on goal and played very well defensively. But it's really not worth debating. I understand your point. He's paid to score and he didn't do it. However, my feeling is that I'm pissed at ALL of the Wings that pulled a disappearing act in the finals, not just Hossa.

[albo23 10]

I'm not saying the Wings would MISS the playoffs, I'm just saying losing 40+ goals of offense a year... sucks.

We're not losing them. Someone would take his place and the circumstances are completely changed.

[therock48880 14]

Agreed, but they fared better without him the year previous. I'm not saying they wouldn't have won with Hossa in '08, but he's some magic potion that is necessary for success.

I don't know. I'm of the belief that Hossa carried them for sections of the regular season when the wings were battling the Stanley Cup hangover. If the whole team was motivated (as I expect them to be) and you throw a motivated Hossa on top of that.................

It probably won't matter anyways. We're at Holland's self-imposed deadline for Hossa to make his decision. If we don't hear anything before too long, maybe that means he's staying.

[zenway9 1]

As I am not an expert in the negotiaton game, I am wondering if Holland can talk directly to Hossa without Winter around. Does the agent always have to be present? I was thinking that maybe Winter might be mucking things up a bit. Not sure.

[ilmickeyli 40]

As I am not an expert in the negotiaton game, I am wondering if Holland can talk directly to Hossa without Winter around. Does the agent always have to be present? I was thinking that maybe Winter might be mucking things up a bit. Not sure.

Anything would have to go thru Winter, and yes, I'm sure it is mucking things up.

[BlakChamber 8]

As I am not an expert in the negotiaton game, I am wondering if Holland can talk directly to Hossa without Winter around. Does the agent always have to be present? I was thinking that maybe Winter might be mucking things up a bit. Not sure.

Much like the misplaced blame that Datsyuk's agent got a few years back, this isn't the case here. The agent has a fiduciary responsibility to the athlete. This is a legal arrangement in which the agent essentially places the interest of the principal (the athlete) ahead of his own. And there are repercussions if they don't do this. They can range from getting fired by the player, to being decertified by the NHLPA, to losing their license if that agent happens to be a lawyer. If they're doing something like embezzling money, they can be prosecuted.

So like what happened with Datsyuk a few years ago, it's really easy to turn the agent into the bad guy. But Winter works for Hossa, not the other way around. If Winter is asking for 6 million and won't go below, he's doing it under Hossa's direction or he probably won't remain Hossa's agent much longer.

And I'd have to imagine that if a team tried to negotiate directly with the player when they know the player has an agent, the NHLPA would be filing a grievance very quickly.

[Z and D for the C 712]

Just because he can't disregard Hossa wishes doesn't mean he can't influence Hossa's decision. Trust me, I'm sure rich winters REALLY wanted hossa to sign with edmonton last year, and expressed his opinion accordingly.

Edited June 29, 2009 by Z and D for the C

[HenryMalredo 2]

Just because he can't disregard Hossa wishes doesn't mean he can't influence Hossa's decision. Trust me, I'm sure rich winters REALLY wanted hossa to sign with edmonton last year, and expressed his opinion accordingly.

Of course Winter would try to influence Hossa to take a larger contract in order to increase his take. But overall, the agent has to negotiate in his client's interests. Winter has been around long enough to know that if he goes against Hossa's wishes (if Hossa is interested in taking a discount), while he may get a bigger take in the short-term, he risks losing a client and hurting his reputation.

[BlakChamber 8]

Just because he can't disregard Hossa wishes doesn't mean he can't influence Hossa's decision. Trust me, I'm sure rich winters REALLY wanted hossa to sign with edmonton last year, and expressed his opinion accordingly.

Why should I trust you? Are you and Winter friends and he tells you about his contract negotiations? Maybe you and Hossa? Or are you a psychic and you can read his mind? Please, if you have any insight gained from your close relationship with Winter and/or Hossa, please share it.

As far as influencing Hossa, Winter is going to tell Hossa how much he thinks he's worth on the open market. If he doesn't, he's not doing his job. But the Wings aren't offering Hossa contract with a cap hit of 3 million and Winter is hiding it from him.

I realize the prevailing thought on LGW around this time of the year is that every player in the NHL wants to play for the Red Wings, and because the Wings are such a first rate organization, they should take whatever money the members of LGW deem an appropriate price to play for Detroit. And, that if the player doesn't sign immediately for the board-appropriate salary, there must be some kind of sinister, outside influence. Because we all know that person would sign for the league-minimum just to play for the Wings.

[drwscc 212]

Because we all know that person would sign for the league-minimum just to play for the Wings.

I know I would!