Eric Duhatschek has a good piece on the Marian Hossa signing. One particularly interesting bit:
The risk for Hossa, who has been a remarkably durable player over the years, is that his good health continues. Hossa had major knee surgery in his final year of junior, but has been a picture of health ever since — missing just 22 games in eight years, 10 of them last year, split between the Penguins and the Atlanta Thrashers.
Six of those games came this past season after Hossa sprained his knee in his first game as a Penguin on the 28th. He recovered nicely from that injury, however, finishing third in post-season scoring with 23 26 points in 20 games.
I’m liking his tendency to remain healthy, though it’ll be tested in the more physical West.
One other particularly good section in the article:
… Accordingly, the Red Wings understand better than most the pitfalls that await a team the year after a Stanley Cup victory — the short summer, the need for motivation, the focus that every opponent has for the defending champions.
It is one reason why Holland, with no discernible holes in his team, wanted to make a couple of changes anyway — to ensure that the hunger is present again, when the team opens training camp in September. …