The Chicago Blackhawks signed Marian Hossa to a TWELVE YEAR, $62.8 million deal today in what can only be classified as an idiotic contract. It’s not that Hossa is not a great player or that he does not deserve the deal. It’s the length of the contract.

Unlike the NFL and MLB, the NHL (and NBA) has a salary cap, meaning that each team can only spend to a certain, defined amount. For next season, the cap is $56.8 million, a $100,000 increase over the cap last season. Hossa’s contract is worth $5.233 million per year so that means that nearly 10% of the Blackhawks’ money is tied up in Hossa next season. Hossa is just one of twenty plus players that Chicago will have on its roster next season.

Now, that still leaves a large amount of money for Chicago to spend on the rest of their roster. Hossa is a terrific player and he will certainly help the Hawks next season, but next year is not the problem with the contract. Five years from now, what is the cap going to be? Continue reading “Crazy NHL Contracts” →