Ray Shero’s Best Moments As Pens GM
By Jared Kimble
4. Welcome to Pittsburgh, Marian Hossa!
PITTSBURGH – MAY 28: Marian Hossa #18 of the Pittsburgh Penguins skates against the Detroit Red Wings during game three of the 2008 NHL Stanley Cup Finals at Mellon Arena on May 28, 2008 in Pittsburgh. Pennsylvania. The Penguins defeated the Red Wings 3-2 to set the series at 2-1 Red Wings. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
Date: February 26th, 2008
Official Trade: Marian Hossa and Pascal Dupuis to Pittsburgh Penguins; Angelo Esposito, Colby Armstrong, Erik Christensen and a first-round pick to the Atlanta Thrashers
Exactly a year prior to the Kunitz trade, the Pittsburgh Penguins were searching for an offensive spark.
And as Chris Kunitz did in 2009, Marian Hossa brought just that.
In 12 regular-season games with the club, Hossa potted 10 points (3G, 7A) and wasn’t done contributing.
Where he really spotlighted was in the postseason.
In the 20 games the Penguins played leading up to their loss in Game 6 to the Detroit Red Wings, Hossa notched a team-leading 12 goals.
The forward also tallied 14 assists in the postseason, putting him second in points on the team behind only Sidney Crosby, while scoring two game-winners for Pittsburgh.
Hossa was a spark for the organization and it showed when he led the team with a plus-8 rating.
While Hossa was extremely influential with the club, he unfortunately decided to move on to the Detroit Red Wings as a free agent in the offseason.
Though looking back on the trade, the Pens really didn’t give up much.
Armstrong and Christenson declined gradually in the following seasons, while Esposito never performed well on the professional level.
If anything, Shero is probably regretting the first-rounder — but for Marian Hossa, surely he’d do it again.