Red Wings sign RW Hossa

Jul 2, 2008 - 6:04 PM DETROIT (Ticker) -- Less than one month after winning the Stanley Cup, the Detroit Red Wings won the bidding war for Marian Hossa.

Widely considered this summer's top available free agent forward, Hossa signed a one-year contract Wednesday with the already-loaded Red Wings.

Financial terms were not disclosed, but multiple media outlets reported that Hossa received a $7.4 million contract - a relatively small sum compared to the deals expected to be offered to the high-scoring right wing.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette initially reported Detroit's acquisition of Hossa, who was dealt from the Atlanta Thrashers to the Eastern Conference champion Pittsburgh Penguins at this year's trade deadline.

A two-time 40-goal scorer, Hossa joins a Red Wings club that already featured All-Stars Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg, who both eclipsed the 90-point mark this past season.

"(Hossa) fits into our philosophy in that he wants to win," Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock told the Detroit Free Press. "He's a two-way player like (Datsyuk) and (Zetterberg), and what I mean by that is, he's as good with the puck as without. To me, he's one of the top 15 forwards in the game."

Hossa, 29, was outstanding during Pittsburgh's postseason run, scoring 12 goals and 26 points in 20 playoff games. The Czech native netted a pair of game-winning goals, including a series-clinching score against the New York Rangers in Game Five of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Hossa also had three goals and four assists in the Stanley Cup Finals against the Red Wings, who needed six games to claim their fourth championship in 12 years.

Courtesy of his brilliant postseason, Hossa appeared primed to land a lucrative, long-term contract from a number of scoring-starved teams. One of the biggest players in the Hossa sweepstakes was the Edmonton Oilers, who reportedly offered a multi-year contract worth at least $9 million per season.

But Hossa, a four-time All-Star, evidently settled for a smaller sum to play with the Red Wings, who collected 115 points this past season to capture the Presidents' Trophy.

Babcock believes that Hossa will infuse energy to a veteran-laden Red Wings club aiming to repeat next season.

"After you win the Cup, it's easy to be stale," Babcock told the Free Press. "You have to change things up a bit, and that's what we've been able to do. It's that excitment that helps your team get started. We like the steps we've taken."

The 12th overall selection in the 1997 draft, Hossa has 299 goals and 349 assists in parts of 10 seasons with the Penguins, Thrashers and Ottawa Senators.