It can be debated that the struggles this season of perennial-contender New Jersey Devils, may be, or may not be, a result of their insistence on retaining star winger Ilya Kovalchuk this summer.
What cannot be debated is that his contract saga cost them dearly, and it has wreaked havoc upon their cap situation.
New Jersey's mess got us to thinking...(I know, we should have stopped there.)
Following the 2007-08 season, the Devils' division rival, Pittsburgh, was in a very similar situation. At the deadline, they had pulled the trigger on a trade with Atlanta which netted them a high-powered, pending UFA winger in the form of Marian Hossa.
After an iffy start with the Penguins, Hossa and Pittsburgh really seemed to click during the team's run to the Final.
Although they came up short of winning it all, Hossa's playoff performance made it a near necessity to re-sign him. GM Ray Shero believed he had finally found the perfect winger to play with Sidney Crosby.
Yet, at the time, the Penguins had other worries.
In addition to Hossa, Stanley Cup Final roster players Brooks Orpik, Ryan Malone, Pascal Dupuis, Jarkko Ruutu, Georges ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Nick Derence
Marian Hossa and the Pittsburgh Penguins: A What-If Story
November 19th, 2010 by Nick Derence Leave a reply »
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