The Chicago Blackhawks were probably the busiest team when NHL free agency opened and made the biggest splash when they signed Marian Hossa to an incredible 12-year $62.8m deal.
Hossa will be on his third team in three seasons and the Blackhawks have to hope he brings the best of his game from Detroit to the table this coming season or they could have just paid a lot of money for not a lot of product.
And they also have to pray that he does not complete an unwanted hat-trick having been on the losing sides in both of the last two Stanley Cup finals series, first after being traded to Pittsburgh in 2008 and then after signing with the Red Wings, losing to his former club a couple of months ago.
Hossa has been called a renegade in recent years, and the Penguins found it particularly sweet when they took him down in their Stanley Cup success, but this time Hossa finds himself in a different role – an old guy on a really young team.
