After months of speculation over where Marian Hossa could end up, he finally made his choice today and it was a surprising one.

The fact Hossa signed with the Detroit Red Wings wasn’t surprising, it’s the deal he signed with them, spurning more lucrative offers from other teams to sign a one-year, $7.4 million contract.

Hossa was fielding multi-year offers worth over $9 million per season to opt for a one-year opportunity for less than market value to win a Stanley Cup.

Signing with a Cup contender was Hossa’s long-stated intent and with the defending Stanley Cup champions he stands a great chance of doing so.

Among the teams vying for Hossa’s services was the Pittsburgh Penguins, who reportedly offered him a multi-year contract believed to be between $7.5 -$8 million per season.

Draw your own conclusions.

It certainly says a lot about the respect Hossa has for the Red Wings organization that he’d agree to just a one-year deal for less money to play for them when he could’ve earned a king’s ransom elsewhere. When you’re the class of the league like the Red Wings, you can pretty much name your price and most players will jump for it.

This move also gives Hossa some flexibility for if he wins a championship next season with the Red Wings he can then jump into next summer’s UFA pool where he’ll again likely attract big money offers.

It may be an opportunistic move by Hossa but obviously he and the Red Wings have no problem with it.