Rangers and Blackhawks Ink the Big Fish - Gaborik and Hossa Sign

Two of the biggest signings in the NHL free-agent market have been by Chicago and the New York Rangers. But both teams are assuming a massive amount of risk with the big rewards they lumped on the shoulders of two superstars in the NHL. Is it going to pan out for either team? The Furious One is here to emphatically say “no” to both teams.

Let’s start with Marion Hossa signing a 12-year deal worth $62.8 million in Chicago. Hossa has bounced around from Atlanta to Pittsburgh to Detroit and enjoyed success with the last two teams, but has not earned a Stanley Cup ring in the process. Now he takes his curse to a team that is booming with young talent. Hossa scored 71 points in the regular season for Detroit last year, but was a ghost in the playoffs with just 15 points.

Hossa will be called upon to be something he’s never had to be in his eleven year career: a leader. The Blackhawks are young with Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews blossoming under the pressure of Chicago’s heated hockey fans. But is Hossa the man to take them over the hump? If his tenure in Pittsubrgh and Detroit proved anything, it’s that Hossa is anything but a closer. He can skate like the wind, score like Tucker Max on a Saturday night and shock highlight reel watching fans like Ovechkin. He just can’t win big games.

Now the Blackhawks are stuck with him for 12 years, although at 30 it’s impossible to believe he’ll play out his contract. What he will do is count as a $5.3 million cap hit against the Blackhawks’ salary cap. That’s far from worth it if you ask me, especially given his inability to lead, and his inability to produce in the playoffs. But hey, he’ll make Chicago a great regular season team! By the way, that was meant to be sarcastic.

The other bewildering signing that has hockey fans buzzing is Marion Gaborik signing in New York with the Rangers. There’s no doubting his talent. Gaborik scored 23 points in 17 games last season. But that’s the problem: he only played in 17 games last season. Gaborik has long been my favorite skater in the league. Nobody, aside from Ovechkin, has been deadlier with the puck at full speed. But nobody in the league has been more difficult to keep healthy than Gaborik, who has battled an assortment of lower-body injuries his entire career. From his lower-back to his hips to his groin, Gaborik is not just another pain in the ass for the Rangers.

A 5-year, $37.5 million deal will have Gaborik taking up $7.5 million of the Rangers’ cap space. Is that worth it for a guy like Gaborik? Absolutely…but only if he actually stays healthy. Rule number one of free-agency is you build around a guy who will actually last you 82-games in a season. By the way, Gaborik’s never played a full season in his entire career. Nice job, Glenn Sather.

Going after big names in hockey will fill the seats and create a buzz in your town. But going after guys like these will only cause more backlash from the hockey betting fans and the true fans when March rears its ugly head.