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It’s too early to say the Hawks have their game completely back—even after a pretty convincing 5-2 win on the road over Vancouver last night.
But it’s probably long overdue for a salute to 35 year old RW Marian Hossa.
Written off by many over the last couple of seasons for being injury prone, a buyout candidate, or about to be replaced by the likes of Brandon Saad (a nice, up and coming player no doubt—but with a long way to go before he enters the Hossa conversation), Hossa has 46 points (23/23) in 51 games this year and is, as usual, a team-leading +23.
Hossa remains, arguably, the Hawks’ best two-way forward, and still a dynamic offensive threat, with outstanding speed, shooting and puck skills.
Big Hoss played through a painful back injury in last Spring’s playoffs and certainly looked only marginally effective. But with a summer of rest (and no surgery), Hossa looks as young and fully fit as he has in years this season.
And this points to what the Hawks knew along. I was told by an insider last season, when so many had Hossa being bought out at season’s end, that the Hawks had “zero… intention of doing so. Although he had signed what many felt was an albatross of a contract, that runs through his 41st year, the numbers seem to be telling a different story.
Today, at $5.275 million a year, Hossa looks like a relative bargain. The question becomes, as the years go by, will he continue to play at or near his current level—when inflation in the salary cap, and therefore average salaries, will make his salary look more and more affordable.
The very real possibility is that as Hossa enters his late 30s and approaches age 40, not unlike say, Igor Larionov or Sergei Fedorov, he will still provide good value for what he is paid.
Sure, his physical abilities—although he seems to have Nolan Ryan-like genetics—will deteriorate over time. But Hossa’s physical gifts set him so far ahead of most players that it only levels the playing field somewhat. And few players “think… the game and play with the discipline Hossa does.
Point being, this will probably continue to be be an effective NHL player, possibly for another 4-5 seasons.
And a player who will continue to look good in a Blackhawk sweater.