Watching the game last night I had the same thoughts. Hossa was on a mission.

Obviously, Detroit would be an excellent place for Hossa to play. He’s a great two-way player that skates well, handles the puck well, has a solid wrist shot, and does all the technical things right. The Wings would fit him like a glove, and vice versa.

However, I don’t see Holland trading what would be necessary to get Hossa at the deadline. More so, I considered Hossa’s play last night his way of saying, “Sign me when I’m a free agent!”

That likely won’t happen, given that the Wings will want to resign Dan Cleary, resign Lilja or look for another similar player, and obviously extend Zetterberg. But, with the unpredictability of the way the cap has gone since the lockout, you never know what will happen. It’s a great thought, but I wouldn’t count on it.

Posted by Nathan on 01/16/08 at 09:59 AM ET

If Hossa was playing to promote himself to Ken Holland, were the Wings players trying to show Don Waddell (or any other GMs) why he shouldn’t trade for them?

Oh well, I guess (more like hope and pray) it’s just the mid-season doldrums. They’ll snap out of it soon (fingers crossed).

Posted by YzermanZetterberg on 01/16/08 at 10:14 AM ET

One question for all this Hossa talk, why trade him?

With Kovy and Hossa, the Thrashers have the makings of a pretty powerful offensive team.

Add a few pieces, show Hossa an effort to imrprove the team, and he stays.

Posted by Paul from Motown Area on 01/16/08 at 11:30 AM ET

I don’t see why Atlanta would want to trade him, since they lost so badly at the trade deadline last year, I would think they would want to build around Hossa and Ilya.

Posted by hockeychic from Denver, CO on 01/16/08 at 12:14 PM ET

If Atlanta held onto Hossa, and Lehtonen’s groin didnt give him so much trouble, no doubt they would be the cream of the crop in the SE division, but it sounds like Hossa might want out.
I could see Brian Burke making a big push for him.

Posted by PuckHound61 from Speckville USA on 01/16/08 at 12:45 PM ET

The reason it makes sense for the Thrashers to trade Hossa is that they are still a long way away from being legitimately postseason competitive, and they’re never going to be spending close enough to the cap to spend their way past a personnel error here or there.

Also, there’s about a 0 percent chance they’re able to re-sign the guy in the offseason anyway.

Posted by HockeyinHD on 01/16/08 at 12:59 PM ET

I don’t see why Atlanta would want to trade him, since they lost so badly at the trade deadline last year…

The only thing I can see is that this time it would be a player for prospects or picks, and last year it was the other way around.

I’d want to build around Hossa, too (one of my favorites), but I can see them trading him if he has informed them that he doesn’t have any confidence they are committed to winning, and he is determined to sign elsewhere.  If he was sure about their committment, he might have signed already.  It isn’t as though he has to prove that he has offensive talent to get a bigger contract, after all - Marian Hossa isn’t an unknown quantity.

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 01/16/08 at 01:35 PM ET

Just a little reminder that Hossa to date in his career has show very little come playoff time.  Lest we forget that four game sweep at the hands of the Rangers last season and those multiple playoff collapses against the Leafs when Hossa was a member of the Senators.

Now to be fair, you can’t lay on the blame on Marian, but you need your key players to elevate their game come playoff time, and I’ve yet to see that from Hossa.

Posted by dash_pinched on 01/16/08 at 02:13 PM ET

I agree with Nathan:

That likely won’t happen, given that the Wings will want to resign Dan Cleary, resign Lilja or look for another similar player, and obviously extend Zetterberg. But, with the unpredictability of the way the cap has gone since the lockout, you never know what will happen. It’s a great thought, but I wouldn’t count on it.

I don’t think the Wings would have the available cap-space to sign Hossa.  Pavel, Lidstrom, Rafalski, and soon Zetterberg will all be playing in the 6-7 mil range.  Cleary is due a raise as well.  If the Wings are intent on trying to keep their current roster in-tact (and why wouldn’t they be given their record)—there is just no room for Hossa other than as a playoff rental.

Posted by Jeff OKWingnut from Hockey Hades on 01/16/08 at 03:10 PM ET

If this type of trade happened, Cleary would be gone.
Dats signing is a bargain for the Wings, cap will go up, but I still see Hossa playing the market come July 1st.

This is one deal the Wings would want to sign Hossa before trading for him, and I don’t see that happening.

Posted by Paul from Motown Area on 01/16/08 at 03:14 PM ET

This has “I love him as a player, but not as a contract” written all over it.  Atlanta is going to ask for a lot in a trade - it will be interesting to see if they get it.

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 01/16/08 at 03:23 PM ET

Comments make me laugh. 

Did you read someone suggested Detroit get Hossa because they don’t have a second line to match Anaheim or San Jose?  “Waddell would be happy to get Filppula.”

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 01/16/08 at 03:26 PM ET

Yeah, more like Anaheim and San Jose don’t have the secondary scoring this year to match the Wings…

Regardless, I don’t think a trade for Hossa is even remotely possible. Like I said, if anything, Hossa was auditioning to try and get Ken Holland to call him in the offseason.

I’d support signing Hossa as a UFA, but obviously, not at the cost of Z, and truthfully, not at the cost of Dan Cleary (he’s been supremely valuable to this team and a lot of people outside of Detroit don’t realize it). With that said, it’s 99% sure it won’t happen.

Posted by Nathan on 01/16/08 at 03:57 PM ET

Lilja for Hossa straight up.

Posted by DrW from Detroit on 01/16/08 at 05:21 PM ET

Lilja for Hossa straight up.

Waddell would want one hell of a lot more than just Lilja for Hossa.

Posted by PuckHound61 from Speckville USA on 01/16/08 at 06:50 PM ET

More like Holland would want a hell of a lot more for Lilja than just Hossa!

Posted by Nathan on 01/17/08 at 09:57 AM ET

Everybody wants Lilja, heck Peter Worrell even claimed to be him.

Posted by dash_pinched on 01/17/08 at 12:06 PM ET

Nathan said:  More like Holland would want a hell of a lot more for Lilja than just Hossa!

Holy crap.  I just about split my sides laughing at that.

Posted by SYF from Las Vegas, NV on 01/17/08 at 06:02 PM ET