Hossa Perfect Fit for Islanders

"It was a really tough decision for me to make," forward Marian Hossa stated last July. "When I compared the two teams, I felt like I would have a little better of a chance to win the Cup in Detroit."

How wrong he was.

Marian Hossa watched as NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman handed the Stanley Cup off to Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sydney Crosby Friday night from the Detroit locker room.  Just one year ago, Hossa watched from the Pittsburgh locker room as Bettman handed the Cup to Red Wings' captain Nicklas Lidstrom.  To Pittsburgh fans, this was the sweet irony that they had wanted since Hossa rejected an offer from Penguins' management last summer to play with the Red Wings.  To Red Wings fans, it was all about the anger of Hossa's poor effort and lack of goal scoring in the 2009 Stanley Cup Finals.

“Really wouldn't have been fair anyway to put his name on the Cup when he generated nothing,” claims ShanahanMan of LetsGoWings.com. 

Hossa registered 0 goals and just two assists in all seven games of the Stanley Cup Finals.  His 6 goals and 9 assists throughout the playoffs were nothing special either, considering he was a 40-goal scorer and a 71-point getter in the regular season.  Hossa was strong for the most part in Detroit, but never really took hold of a game this playoff year.  Hossa tried to shrug off the loss to the media when asked about his decision to change teams.

"That's life," Hossa told NHL.com. “I still had a great year in this organization with great guys, great people around. It could go both ways, one goal could've made a difference. Sometimes that's life.”

Word around the press room is that Hossa will not receive an offer from the Red Wings since his 1-year contract is up on July 1st, making him an unrestricted free-agent.  With the Red Wings spending a good amount of money to keep Henrik Zetterberg and Johan Franzen aboard with unusually long contracts, things look dim on Hossa staying in Detroit.  Another reason for this theory is the collapse of General Motors, a company that is based in the Detroit area.  Speculation is that season ticket sales will decline next season, along with group tickets and single-game sales.  Keeping all of this in mind, GM Ken Holland may hold off on bringing back Hossa for another season.  He made $7.5 million in 2008-09.

Hossa needs to put an end to looking at Cup contenders from now on; he was better off on a team like Atlanta, where he registered 192 points in 162 games spanning over two seasons.  He can be the only star on the team again, improving his ice-time and number of shots on goal.  He has proven yet again in this post-season that he is not someone to count on in the long and grueling playoff run.  Signing with a team like the Islanders for a small pay cut for a season or two could show that he can produce the big points still and improve his chances of being signed by a better Cup contender in the future for more money.  Hossa is only 30 years old and still skates as fast as anyone in the league. 

With his confidence shot and the media poking at him constantly, Hossa needs to realize what will help him best for the future.  Right now he is credited as a non-big game performer; he is the only one that can change that accusation.