Marian Hossa to miss season due to equipment allergy
Due to an ongoing skin allergy, Chicago Blackhawks winger Marian Hossa will at least sit out the 2017-18 season.
In his age-38 season, Chicago Blackhawks winger Marian Hossa had 45 points (26 goals and 19 assists) over 73 regular season games. Any health issues were not apparent, or even reported beyond a lower body issue that cost him a few games. But Hossa will now miss the entire 2017-18 season, and possibly be forced to retire, as he continues to receive treatment for a skin allergy related to equipment.
Hossa has been a key cog on all three of Chicago’s recent Stanley Cup-winning teams. Over 19 NHL seasons and 1,309 career games, he has 525 goals and 609 assists as a solid two-way forward. The 12-year, $63.3 million deal he signed before the 2009-10 season looked aggressive at the time, but Hossa is due just $1 million per year over the remaining four years. There are salary cap ramifications if he retires immediately though, via “cap recapture” penalties that would carry through the 2020-21 season.
Placing Hossa on long-term injured reserve would allow the Blackhawks to go over the salary cap by the amount of his cap hit ($5.275 million). For a team that is annually up against it financially and trading notable players practically every offseason, every bit of relief would be much-needed.
Hossa commented on his situation.
"“Over the course of the last few years, under the supervision of the Blackhawks medical staff, I have been privately undergoing treatment for a progressive skin disorder and the side effects of the medications involved to treat the disorder,” Hossa said in a released statement. “Due to the severe side effects associated with those medications, playing hockey is not possible for me during the upcoming 2017-18 season. While I am disappointed that I will not be able to play, I have to consider the severity of my condition and how the treatments have impacted my life both on and off the ice.”"
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Hossa may have to be done playing, since being allergic to equipment is quite a problem and he’s apparently been dealing with it for a few years. He is surely set financially, and risking his long-term health has diminishing returns as he approaches 40 years old.