Marian Hossa Headed to Pittsburgh :(
Yea, I used a frowny face in the title of this post.
It’s true I’m disappointed my hometown Atlanta Thrashers had to trade away the five-time All-Star forward who had 56 points in 6o games this season.
Though rumors had him going a number of other places, Marian Hossa was sent, along with forward Pascal Dupuis, to the Pittsburgh Penguins for young frontliners Colby Armstrong (25), Erik Christensen (24), and 19-year old Angelo Esposito. The Thrashers also came out of the deal with the Penguins’ first round pick in the next NHL Draft.
It’s always tough to watch your favorite team lose a player with as much talent as Hossa possesses (similar to the Falcons losing Deion Sanders, the Braves splitting with Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine, or the Hawks and Dominique Wilkins parting ways).
Despite my disappointment, I think the Thrashers actually got the better end of this deal. Instead of Hossa being lost to free agency later this summer in exchange for nothing (which may still happen to Pittsburgh), Atlanta got back Christensen and three first round picks (Armstrong in ‘01, Esposito last season, and the pick in the next draft).
The Thrashers will still have a chance at re-signing Dupuis after the season as it has been reported that he and his family enjoy the Atlanta area. There is also a very slim chance the Thrashers would also have a chance at re-signing Hossa if the Penguins are unable to secure a long-term contract with the Slovakian, but if Hossa and the Thrashers couldn’t come to terms any time this season, nothing makes me believe the two sides would come together in the off-season.
Don Waddell, Atlanta’s general manager/coach, may have gotten the better end of the trade, but he still managed not to address the Thrashers’ true deficiency — defense (evident by the tie breaking and subsequent 3 more third period goals allowed to the Canadians in the Thrashers first game following the trade).
Instead of improving a defense that has given up the fourth most goals in the NHL, the Thrashers traded away two of their top penalty killers for a center in Christensen who has 9 goals and 11 assists and Armstrong, a forward, who has accumulated 9 goals and 15 assists this season.
Without any defensive additions, it’s highly unlikely the Thrashers will be making a playoff surge (which they pretty much conceded wasn’t worth holding onto Hossa for). Instead they appear to be looking to the future. They opened up some cap room prior to the offseason (where they better get some defensive assistance), and the inclusion of the Penguins’ 1st round draft pick and Esposito could give the Thrashers two future studs.
Esposito, who was projected to possibly be drafted in the top 5 last season before unexpectedly falling to the Penguins and the 20th selection, could be the star of this trade when looked back upon in the future. With the Quebec Ramparts, he has amassed 26 goals and 29 assists in only 48 games this season.
As for Pittsburgh, they now have three of the top scoring threats in the league with Hossa, Sidney Crosby, and Evgeni Malkin as they make a push for an Atlantic Division title and then hopefully a prominent playoff run. Trading for Hossa, who could be with the team for only a couple of months, is a risky move for the Pens, but it ultimately could net the grand reward…Lord Stanley’s Cup.
Shotgun Spratling
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