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On the day NHL free-agent season opened, Detroit Red Wings general manager Ken Holland awoke with an ambitious plan: To add a top-six forward to the roster of his Stanley Cup championship team, preferably on a one-year deal.
This was Holland's dilemma: For the 2008-09 season, the Red Wings were well under the NHL's $56.7-million (U.S.) salary cap. That was the good thing.
However, Holland also knew his payroll would jump significantly the season after as forwards Henrik Zetterberg and Johan Franzen, two mainstays, both qualify for unrestricted free agency.
So Holland crossed his fingers and made his calls. There were two primary targets: Ritch Winter, the agent for winger Marian Hossa, widely considered to be the most attractive free agent on the market, and J.P. Barry, the agent for veteran centre Mats Sundin.
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In some ways, Sundin seemed a more logical fit in Detroit, given that he is 37, would fit in well with the Red Wings' heavy concentration of Swedes, and has long been amendable to signing one-year contracts at this stage of his career.
Hossa? Holland knew that a one-year offer probably wasn't going to get a deal done. If Hossa went to the highest bidder, he figured to attract a contract in the range of $9-million a season over an extended term.
The whispers out of Edmonton, where Winter is based, suggested that new Oilers owner Darryl Katz was prepared to go as high as $80-million on a nine-year deal to secure Hossa's services.
Accordingly, when Holland made his original pitch, he actually offered a long-term deal, full well knowing it might create salary-cap headaches for him down the road. Holland liked what he saw of Hossa in a Pittsburgh Penguins uniform during the Stanley Cup final.
Luckily for Holland, the feeling on Hossa's side was mutual.
As Tuesday wore on, it became obvious to Holland that the Wings' offer had been trumped financially and his chances of signing Hossa were probably limited.
Hossa wanted to sleep on his choices, but the general feeling around the league was the Oilers were the favourites to land him and that his contract would exceed the $57-million that defenceman Brian Campbell, the leader in the clubhouse after Day 1 of free agency, received from the Chicago Blackhawks.
So Wednesday morning, as he drove into work at Joe Louis Arena, Holland was surprised when his cellphone rang. It was Winter, telling him that Hossa's interest in the Red Wings was so genuine the player was prepared to talk about a one-year deal – and roll the dice on the future.
Because Holland didn't want anyone on the team to earn more than team captain Nicklas Lidstrom's $7.6-million salary, they settled on $7.45-million.
Even Holland couldn't believe he'd actually scored such a coup. “Without Marian wanting to be a Red Wing, this day never happens,” he said.
Hossa, who talked repeatedly Wednesday about his desire to win a Stanley Cup with the Red Wings and received repeated telephone entreaties from Penguins captain Sidney Crosby to reconsider Pittsburgh, was asked: How did his agent respond to leaving all those dollars on the table?
“Sometimes, we were talking and shaking our heads at what we were doing, but I think this is the right decision,” Hossa said. “I just want to play for a team I think can win the Stanley Cup. I know it's just one year, but I think we've got a really good chance.”
As part of Wednesday's negotiations, Holland also put Hossa in touch with Wings head coach Mike Babcock so Babcock could tell him where he'd fit in on the team.
Presumably, Hossa's presence will permit Pavel Datsyuk to move back to centre (he played mostly on the wing with Zetterberg last season).
No one understands better than Detroit, the last team to win back-to-back Stanley Cups, how important motivation is the year after winning a championship. Hossa's desire to win – that intangible – factored into Holland's decision as much as the tangible things Hossa will contribute to the team.
“One of the things we've been talking about internally over the past two weeks is how Dallas Drake was a major factor in us winning the Stanley Cup,” Holland said. “Dallas made a lot of sacrifices. When we got close, I thought a lot of our players played for Dallas.
“If you look at the last number of years, the teams that have won the Stanley Cup, the odd one has missed the playoffs, most have lost in the first round. I'd like to think with the addition of Marian … and the youth of our team, all the players coming into their prime, is going to provide tremendous motivation. The games are so close, just that extra little bit of hunger can be the difference.”
When the dust had settled at the end of two wild days of free agency, the rich just got a little richer.
“We were looking to do a little something,” Holland said. “I never envisioned it would be this much of an impact.
“Obviously, it's an exciting day for the Red Wings.”
