I guess Katz gave Lowe the thumbs-up to throw his money around. We saw the Marian Hossa sweepstakes go down to the last minute, when the superstar winger chose a shot at the Stanley Cup with the Wings at a price of $7.2 million for one season over a supposed 8-9 year, $80 million deal being offered by the Oilers.
If that was the case, I am glad as HELL to see Hossa with another team. I'm sure Lowe isn't stupid. A cap hit of $8-9 million for that term for someone like Hossa would have crippled this team for sure. He's a sure-fire talent, but he's been nothing but a complementary player to many of the game's established stars. From Alfredsson to Kovalchuk to Crosby, he's always been given an opportunity to play with a superior star. Who knows how he would have done with the Oilers?
I'm sure Lowe was in the running, but his offer was in the same range as the Wings' offer. Hossa turned it down for a stint at the cup, but hopefully he reconsiders next season when Lowe surely makes a similar offer for his services.
As for Jagr, I was really hoping to land him on a one-year deal. He's smart for choosing the ridiculous offer from Omsk, but a one-year contract would have been excellent for the Oilers. It would have JUST fit under the cap, and given us a real chance to contend this season. Better yet, we would be free of his contract at the end of the season, in prime position to take a shot at Hossa.
Katz's first 48 hours have been tumultuous, and hopefully the strides he aimed to make do come true over the coming months and years. As for throwing ridiculous amounts of money at high-profile players, I just hope Lowe approaches this realistically, and takes into account he's got young stars in the making that are going to need to be paid in the next few years.
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