Blackhawks send Hossa's contract to Coyotes in 7-player deal
The Chicago Blackhawks and the Arizona Coyotes pulled off a doozy of a trade Thursday.
Chicago traded Marian Hossa's contract, forward Vinnie Hinostroza, defenseman Jordan Oesterle, and a 2019 third-round pick to the Coyotes in exchange for forwards Marcus Kruger, MacKenzie Entwistle, Jordan Maletta, defenseman Andrew Campbell, and a 2019 fifth-round pick, the Blackhawks announced.
Hossa ended his playing career in May.
"I'm done playing hockey," he told Slovak newspaper Novy Cas back in May, as translated by NHL.com. "I have a contract with Chicago for the next three years, but I have to watch my health, and my body says the comeback is not possible."
He missed all of last season due to a progressive skin disorder and the side effects of the medication used to treat it.
Hossa still has three years remaining on his contract with a $5.275-million annual cap hit, though his actual salary is only $1 million for each season. Since he is unable to play, he will only cost the Coyotes $200,000 per year.
It's worth noting that Marian Hossa's contract is insured for 80% of it's value.
— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) July 12, 2018
Meaning that the $1,000,000 in base salary that Hossa is due in each of the next 3 seasons will only cost the #Coyotes $200,000 pic.twitter.com/XLN1OlOKji
A move such as this isn't uncommon, especially for the Coyotes. Inactive contracts they've acquired in the past include Chris Pronger in 2015 as well as Pavel Datsyuk and Dave Bolland in 2016.
By taking on his deal, the Coyotes get an ultra-speedy 24-year-old winger in Hinostroza, and Oesterle, a 26-year-old blue-liner coming off a career year in which he averaged over 20 minutes per night in 55 games. They also move up two rounds in the 2019 draft.
The Blackhawks, meanwhile, gain leadership, some organizational depth, and most importantly, cap room.
By trading Hossa, Hinostroza & Oesterle off their roster, in exchange for Kruger off Arizona's roster, the #Blackhawks instantly save $4.65M in cap space with this deal.
— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) July 12, 2018
We now show Chicago with roughly $8.55M in projected cap space based on a tentative roster of 18 (9F/6D/3G). pic.twitter.com/tMNtwPldGU
What general manager Stan Bowman does with this newfound cap space remains to be seen.
Kruger won two Stanley Cups with the Blackhawks in 2013 and 2015 but was an ineffective fourth-line center with the Carolina Hurricanes last season. He was traded to Arizona on May 3 but didn't see an NHL game. He has one year left on his deal with a $2.775-million cap hit.
Entwistle was the Coyotes' third-round pick in 2017. The right winger collected 38 points in 49 games last year with the OHL's Hamilton Bulldogs.
Maletta, 23, is coming off a rough season in which he tallied just five assists in 29 AHL contests.
Campbell, 30, has 42 NHL games under his belt but will likely be looked upon to provide leadership for Chicago's AHL team.