Well...if somebody offered you triple you paycheck or more (he is only getting $1million a year from the Hawks the next 4 years)...Helsinki might not be such a bad place to finish out in..plus less games less wear and tear on aging body and more time for family.The NHL 82 game season plus playoffs for Amy 38,39 40 and 41 year old starting the season for only $1million more to the bank account ..well maybe you endure the hotels in Vladivostok or OMSK occasionally when your team plays the odd game there ..Yes..m why would Hossa do it to help the Hawks cap situation going forward? HE would not do it for that reason..but only because more money for less games and not playing the NHL grind for peanuts at his age just might make more logical sense ...not saying he will do this. .only say g it might make some sense to him...and who in their tight minds woukd turn down perhaps $8 million (or even more)more in the bank when he retires after 4 more seasons ? BUT hey its only money and more family time ..who coukd spit on that just to keep playing on the Hawks for a 1 /5th of what they paid him on average before the final 4 years..Besides ..how do you know the hotels are so bad in Vladivostok or OMSK that you cannot endure an occasional one ir two night stay?On the other hand Helsinki or St.Petersberg are quite lovely places to stay for a while. SO why can we not speculate about such a cap solution? No ..he will stay ..just for the love of the Hawks ...torture his aging body through the NHL grind 4 more years and will not retire because of re-capture..he would never hurt the Hawks doing that ...woukd he?...could he? So if he really does not want to put himself through the nhl grind for realistically less chances at another Cup (given the Hawks tight cap and if tgey have to drop either Panarin or a high priced core guy to keep Panarin and cannot add good free agents due to cap or cannot get a lot try pick of elite talent to get them. Black on top...and as tge core afesvover ghe next 4 years too..well.maybe Hossa looks at it and says no way can we win a Cup again
..so options are retire and he screwsvtgebHawksbon re-capture. ..play it not for peanuts and the sacrifice on his body. ..or get more money in Europe/KHL either for all 4 years borage year to year and make retirement decision as per when hevthinksvhevdoescnot want to play more for can amount offered...BUT via defection ...there bis no way tge Hawks can be penalized by re-capture. .So it is a potential solution.I only threw it in as a hypothetical. .not saying he or the Hawks have discussed it.....There is no guarantee that Hossa over tge next 4 seasons here will score like he has this season ...perhaps this is his 1 last spurt of stardom before it starts going in the direction of last season again?We Do not know...but still the amount of money is a lot less going forward here ..and the 82 game plus playoffs grind in the NHL.is tough on every player let alone a player 38,39,40,41 starting each of the 4 final years of a contract ...this is not Jagr..play till 50 wish ...he knows he cannot put in the 2 -way effort to his usual high standard over all those final 4 seasons ...Different if all they asked was pp specialist and less minutes just score a bitt ..do not worry too much about checking. .Q woukd never allow that ..So considering the big picture. .Maybe he does explore the defection option...Also who is to say that the Hawks say to ho. .well when you do retire from Whatever KHL team you defect to after 4 seasons there maybe we have a scout job in Europe for you. ..if you want it. ..just saying?
NOW ...IF such a scenario plays out...I said IF...then via defection the NHL cannot impose re-capture to the Hawks ...at least for every seaon till he retires from the KHL ..But
let us say he plays only 2 more seasons there...woukd tge NHL then charge the Hawks re-capture fir the final 2 seasons of his NHL deal?Because he has retired from pro hockey? OR does tge defection if it happens ,give tge Hawks the option to waive all his rights once defected due to breach of contract?I am not a lawyer. .so who knows?The point of all this speculation is whether their is a way out of re-capture if he does not play boutique his NHL contract ...I think defection is a solution..IF he wants it ...there woukd be benefits to him and to the Hawks ...at least while he still.plays in the KHL ..but do we get re-capture amnesty for such a breach immediately if we claim such an amnesty due to defection or must we wait the entire 4 years more hoping he does not retire from the KHL.before the time on his NHL contract expires...because Bettman will re-impose re-capture if he retires
while the Hawks still gave his rights and contract obligations to fulfill..It would seem impossible that Bettman coukd ever penalize tge Hawks if he plays out the defection 4 seasons and this past expiry of his NHL contract period .. I cannot see how Bettman coud argue t he still owed the Hawks 4 more years and since he
will never play again anywhere after his retirement announcement from the KHL that they can force him to honour the NHL contract
...Surely tge Hawks can merely say legally that they view the defection 4 yearscealiercas a breach and all rights and obligations ended at that time not through anything they coukd do about it ...MAYBE Bettman argues the Hawksbplottedcthis loophole "circumvention " stately vial defection by collusion with Hossa ..but that seems a thorny legal battle and on thin ice (pardon thenpun)...Hawks lawyers woukd fight it ...So as I see it Defection is a solution..certainly if he plays out 4 last year's I tge KHL...retires from there after 1 ,2 or 3 seasons ..well then it is ca legal question whether the NHL still can re-impose a re-capture upon retirement with time remaining on the expiry for his NHL contract (as if Hawks still had rights to his services..s9ohis retirement ruled as a trigger to re-capture at that time,OR whether the Hawks argue rights and obligations ended upon contract breach via defection and thus no re-capture applies from the time contract ended due to defection breach .
It is all a very interesting speculation...might never hapoen..but what IF?