The Hockey News: Campbell's Cuts: Campbell's Cuts: Expect Hossa to stay in Detroit long-term

Campbell's Cuts: Expect Hossa to stay in Detroit long-term

Marian Hossa was second in playoff scoring with 26. (Photo By Dave Sandford/Getty Images)

Ken Campbell
2008-07-07 16:54:47

There must be times when Detroit Red Wings GM Ken Holland closes the door to his office, leans back in his chair and laughs uproariously at jokes only he gets.

Take his recent signing of Marian Hossa, for example. Because it was only for one year, there are people out there who believe this is a one-off; that Hossa will make his best run for a Stanley Cup before chasing riches somewhere else and Detroit simply won’t be able to make room for him under the salary cap along with their pantheon of superstars.

Poor, gullible slobs.

In a hockey world rife with uncertainty, you can take this one to the bank: if Hossa turns out to be a good fit with the Red Wings, he will be in Detroit beyond next season and for many more to come.

There is absolutely no way Holland makes this deal exclusively with the 2008-09 season in mind. When Holland makes a deal of any magnitude, it must serve two purposes –that is make the Red Wings a better team in the short-term and a better team in the long-term. And there is no way Holland would have made the deal if he hadn’t already figured out there’s a good chance he’ll be able to get Hossa in the fold on a multi-year deal after next season.

Holland already knows Hossa is ripe to take a hometown discount because if it had only been about the money, he would’ve never accepted the terms Holland presented. (Which, consequently, is the same deal he would have given Mats Sundin, which says a little something about Sundin’s real desire to play for a team under pressure to win, wouldn’t you say?)

By signing Hossa to this deal, Holland has already gained valuable insight into Hossa’s psyche and that being part of a program that is not only committed to winning, but to doing what it takes to win, is important to him. Holland knows in the end he’ll be able to get Hossa to agree to a long-term deal for money comparable to what Nicklas Lidstrom makes.

In fact, Holland learned a ton about Hossa when he hinted to Hossa he might be able to offer him more money, but said he’d have to call Lidstrom first to see whether it was all right with the captain that he was not the highest-paid player on the team. Hossa responded by saying not to worry about the call – that he’d happily accept the $7.4 million Lidstrom is making.

Nothing Holland does is without a purpose and by putting Hossa in the position of usurping the team’s top-paid player and watching how he responded, gave Holland a key psychological chip for future bargaining.

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And Holland will fit Hossa under the salary cap simply because he can. Holland has long been a believer that in order to thrive under the cap system, you keep your core players under contract and fill in the rest of your cap with affordable players from within the system or affordable veterans from Europe or around the league who will take less money for a shot at the Stanley Cup.

Holland has long believed one-third of your roster can account for two-thirds of your cap. So let’s assume for a moment, the salary cap rises to $62 million for 2009-10, based on the increments in which it has risen since it was imposed.

Let’s also assume Hossa and Henrik Zetterberg agree to long-term deals worth $8 million each. Add in Pavel Datsyuk at $6.7 million and Johan Franzen at $3 million and you’ve got $25.7 million accounted for already. Lidstrom comes in a $7.4 million on the last year of his deal and is joined on defense by Brian Rafalski at $6 million, Brad Stuart at $3.75 million and Niklas Kronwall at $3 million, while No. 1 goalie Chris Osgood comes in at $1.4 million.

That’s $47.25 million for nine players, which is a little more than one-third of the roster. That leaves almost $15 million for 14 players, which will be difficult, but not impossible considering the core of the team is already under contract. The rest of the parts are interchangeable. They may have to trade one of their defensemen to make it work, but it can certainly be done with some creative thinking.

And the Red Wings have that in abundance. It helps, of course, that they always seem able to unearth players such as Darren Helm or Jonathan Ericsson, young serviceable guys who can make a tangible contribution and do so at bargain basement prices.

The Red Wings have grasped and understood the cap system better than any other team in the league and they have the ability to develop and find players who can supplement their core. That’s why Marian Hossa will be a Red Wing long beyond next season.

You can count on it.

Ken Campbell is a senior writer for The Hockey News and a regular contributor to THN.com. His blog appears Tuesdays and Fridays and his column, Campbell's Cuts, appears Mondays.

For more great profiles, news and views from the world of hockey, Subscribe to The Hockey News magazine.

COMMENTS (88)

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WingsNut79 Posted
(2009-04-30 08:21:24)

I hear many reports that Hossa will stay. Since Franzen is signed, Hossa can not sign until the end of the playoffs. If he leaves than he will regret it like Federov and Lapointe. Those two left for money and how many times have they won the cup? Or even made it deep in the playoffs??

Tom from TC Posted
(2009-04-30 08:11:44)

Looking like a lot that Jordan was saying here is false. Hossa IS going to try to sign here for less. Also, the discount taken by the Pittsburgh duo is nothing compared to the Wings' duo: it's around $17.4 mil for Sindy and Malkin vs.. $12.7 mil. for the Wings. THAT is how it's done.

Maurice A. Tate Posted
(2009-04-30 06:41:21)

"WOULD" have blocked Lidstroms current salary........

Maurice A. Tate Posted
(2009-04-30 06:41:20)

Jordan, the NHLPA does not control salary scales. They can bark and snarl at it, and try to put pressure on a player to go "market value", but they can't control, nor do they have any authority to even attempt to control, any salary a player chooses to accept from the team he decides to play for. If they could, they wouldn't have blocked Lidstroms current salary, even given the timeframe it was signed. They wouldn't "allow" the Wings to use Lidstroms salary as their "cap", and Chelios could not have refused to test the free agency market two years ago. For that matter, they wouldn't have allowed Hossa to sign the current one year contract with the Wings........

Rob rickard Posted
(2009-04-30 06:36:15)

Its interesting that you believe that Hossa has a good chance of staying long term in Detroit. The pens thought the same thing and made him an offer no different than what detroit most likely will offer after next season. The only difference is that Detroit won the cup. If the Pens were to win the cup next year do you think Hossa's quest stays with Detroit or does hes go with Pittsburgh and their young core of stars or some other team that he feels is in a good position to win the cup.

Billwinkle Posted
(2009-04-30 06:35:40)

Well hey, we are getting somewhere. I'm glad we agree that the Wings are the best organization in the league (repeat 10 times). Maybe you can read after all. On the other point though, MOST OF THE TEAM plays for less in Detroit than they were offered elsewhere (market value). With Hossa and Lids this is at least 1.5 million/year less. Lids has been doing this for years and Yzerman did it for at least 15 years, so it is not so new. This puts the lie to your statement: "...they all want to be paid as much as possible." No, in fact, it would be more accurate to state that: "They all want the best situation possible, only part of which is money." (repeat 10 times). Since the Wings have a long tradition of this, and since MOST OF THE TEAM plays in Detroit for less, one really has to wonder where your NHLPA dreams are coming from. The NHLPA will not act to break up the Wings. (repeat 10 times).

Jordan Posted
(2009-04-30 06:35:40)

I dont know, Atlanta may give Detroit a good run for their money. I mean, Don Waddell, what does Holland have on him? ;) Joking aside, it doesnt put a lie to my statement, people do want to be paid as much as possible, it's independent of the situation to an extent. Will they take less because of a situation? Yes, but if that situation would say pay Lidstrom $4mm instead of $7mm, would he still do it? There is a limit. Money is always a factor, and even in a good situation, you want as much as possible, even if you are willing to take less. Is this making sense? Not sure if I'm being clear on that or not so if not I'll try and elaborate more. As for the Wings taking less, if you look at it how far off market value are they taking? Is it really that far off expectations? $6.7 was a pretty good sum when Datsyuk signed his new deal, and $7.1 is still a lot of money, even though Lidstrom is worth every penny. As long as it doesnt deflate the market the NHLPA wont mind, especially when players openly proclaim the home town discount. If next year (pure hypothetical here) Zetterberg and Lidstrom (pretend he is a UFA) took $5mm each. Wont something seem wrong when two of the best players at their respective positions arent making that much more than say Ryan Malone and Ron Hainsey? Teams would use those contracts and say to the Malone's and Hainsey's "why should we pay you that much when these perenial all stars arent making much more?" That drives down the market value and that's when the NHLPA wouldnt be happy. It's not when they make a million less, it's when they start making a few million or more less. I have no doubt Zetterberg would take Datsyuk money like other Wings fans say, but when he would get $8-9mm on the open market (which I think you will agree the open market is what agents base their demands on) i dont think they would let him because it could adversely affect player salaries.

Jordan Posted
(2009-04-30 06:35:38)

Billwinkle- I have to say, I'm surprised that when I asked you a serious question you responded by with insults. Did you say directly they were the best at everything? No, but you were definitely insuating it with your tone of your previous post, which if you didnt notice you said "the best in the league" multiple times. And no, I didnt miss your point there are other factors, it's quite obvious that was the case when Hossa signed with Detroit in the first place. Everyone acknowledges there are often other factors when players sign somewhere. As to your question why they let sign players below market value, the length of the year doesnt really matter. The market value is just the annual salary, which changes every year because of inflation. Some players want to sign a deal thats one or two years, some want as long as possible. But where they share their similarity is that they all want to be paid as much as possible, and that is what the union is seeking, just like every other union. Yeah Lidstrom may only be signing one or two year deals for below market value, but he is also 35 and teams are reluctant to give out long term deals to players that age or older, and he is the second highest paid dman, sixth highest paid player in the league, so it's not like he is that far below market value. Finally, I never said Detroit wasnt the best. It's a bit ironic you tell me to learn to read yet don't read it yourself. How am I supposed to put up or shut up on a claim I never made?

Billwinkle Posted
(2009-04-30 06:35:37)

I never said that the Wings were the best at everything, learn to read. It is not just my opinion that the Wings are the best organization overall, this is an opinion shared by many and I just gave you several of the many reasons why. There are many more and several teams may do some of them, but nobody does it better overall. The whole point, which you missed, was to explain several of the many reasons - not just the cup - that most players stay in Detroit for less. If the NHLPA will prevent Holland from signing players below market, why didn't they stop this one year deal or the long term deal with Lids, or the many others? Hossa may indeed stay in Detroit for less, he already did it once. If you do not agree that the Wings are the best organization in the league, name the team you think is. Put up or shut up.

Jordan Posted
(2009-04-30 06:35:34)

Why is it Wings fans are acting kind of haughty about their organization? Billwinkle, and I'm asking you honestly, not sarcastically, do you really think the "above NHL standard" is uncommon for teams? Or that other teams dont do the father-son trips? The things you listed arent things I have heard just the Wings doing. I dont deny the Wings are a good organization, it's known they are very well run, but come on, best at everything? And while there are things other than money that will affect Hossa's decision, do remember 1) the Wings, like everyone else are limited by the cap, and 2) the NHLPA isnt going to let Hossa sign for a paltry sum, so if the Wings want to keep him, they will have to pay up. Can the Wings sign Hossa? Yes. Can they do it without losing some significant player(s) (i.e. Franzen) and hurting their depth? Nope. And I really dont see Holland signing Hossa and hurting his long term depth.

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