Hossa will sign a one-day contract with Chicago on Thursday in order to retire as a Blackhawk, Scott Powers of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

Despite not having played sign the 2016-17 season, Hossa hadn't officially retired yet while his contract didn't expire until after last season. The Hall-of-Famer spent eight of his 19 NHL seasons playing for the Hawks, including his three Stanley Cup championships. All told, Hossa played in 1,309 games in which he recorded 525 goals and 609 assists, plus another 149 points in 205 postseason contests.

Hossa (illness) was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame on Wednesday, Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

EDGE Analysis

Hossa, whose contract is set to officially expire on July 1, has been elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. The 1997 first-round pick played a total of 19 seasons during his NHL career, split between the Senators, Thrashers, Penguins, Red Wings and Blackhawks, amassing 525 goals and 1,134 points in 1,309 contests. The 41-year-old winger's most memorable years were spent in Chicago from 2009 to 2017, during which he lifted Lord Stanley's Cup on three occasions in 2010, 2013 and 2015. Hossa is just the third Slovakian player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, joining Blackhawks legend Stan Mikita and Peter Stastny as the only Slovaks to be bestowed the honor.

The Blackhawks packaged Hossa (illness) -- along with Vinnie Hinostroza, Jordan Oesterle and a 2019 third-round pick -- to the Coyotes in a trade for Marcus Kruger, MacKenzie Entwistle, Jordan Maletta, Andrew Campbell, and a 2019 fifth-rounder Thursday.

EDGE Analysis

Hossa should wind up in the Hall of Fame after recording 1,134 points (525 goals, 609 assists) over 1,309 career contests between the Blackhawks, Senators, Thrashers (now the Jets), Red Wings and Penguins. Unfortunately, while he still has three years remaining on a 12-year, $63.3 million contract agreed upon with the Blackhawks in July of 2019, Hossa has almost assuredly played his last game since he's dealing with a progressive skin condition and the celebrated winger hasn't played since April of 2017. The Coyotes traded for Hossa as the Blackhawks obviously wanted to ditch his contract and it helped make the multi-player swap happen.

Hossa (illness) will not return to the NHL, Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

EDGE Analysis

Due to the nature of Hossa's ailment -- essentially an allergic reaction to his hockey equipment -- he is unable to continue playing. The 39-year-old is still under contract for two more seasons at a cap hit of $5.275 million -- a contract which the Blackhawks will either trade or receive relief from by placing him on long-term injured reserve. The three-time Stanley Cup champion racked up 525 goals and 609 assists in his illustrious 19-year career. Drafted by the Senators with the 12th overall pick of the 1997 NHL Draft, the winger went on to play for Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Detroit and finally Chicago, where spent the last eight years. Hossa stated his intention to return to his native Slovakia, but did say he would consider returning to the Blackhawks in a front office position following the conclusion of his contract.

Hossa (illness) may not be available for the 2018-19 season, Eric Lear of the Blackhawks' official site reports.

EDGE Analysis

According to general manager Stan Bowman, "There's no indications (Hossa's) going to play next year," which doesn't bode well for a return. The 39-year-old remains under contract with the Hawks through the 2020-21 and could spend the next three years on long-term injured reserve. If the winger is unable to play again, he will retire with 525 goals and 609 assists in 1309 career NHL games.

Hossa (illness) will be placed on long-term injured reserve Wednesday, Tracey Myers of NBC Sports Chicago reports.

EDGE Analysis

The move is more of a formality at this point, as Hossa had already been ruled out for the 2017-18 season due to a progressive skin disorder, but it will also allow the Blackhawks to be more liberal with their transactions as the season begins. Rookie Alex DeBrincat and the returning Brandon Saad will be among the team's new additions looking to fill the void left by Hossa.

Hossa will not play during the 2017-18 season due to the side effects of medication related to a progressive skin disorder, Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune reports.

EDGE Analysis

Hossa and the Blackhawks were very clear in their statements that his absence would be for the 2017-18 campaign and made no mention of retirement or the future. The winger registered 45 points in 73 contests this past year while averaging 16:51 of ice time -- production that will be sorely missed in Chicago. It is all but certain that the veteran will be placed on long-term injured reserve in order to give the Hawks additional cap space -- $5.275 million at the most -- which should give them some added flexibility heading into the upcoming season.

Hossa could be forced to retire because of a lingering allergy to his hockey equipment.

EDGE Analysis

According to Brian Hedger of NHL.com, Hossa indicated during a season-ending press conference that he still enjoys playing and expects to come back, but he's reportedly dealing with a fairly severe allergy that could threaten his career. Hossa was already taking medication for the allergy this past season, which seems to give some optimism for a return, although it will be a situation to monitor over the offseason.

Hossa will stay home during the 2017 IIHF World Championships, Brian Hedger of NHL.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

At the age of 38, Hossa is going to leave it to the young guys to lead the Slovakian team at Worlds. The veteran winger shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon, as he recorded 26 goals and 19 assists this season, even though he was held pointless during the the first-round sweep by the Preds.

Hossa (rest) won't play Thursday against Anaheim, Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

EDGE Analysis

The Blackhawks are locked in as the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, so it wouldn't be surprising if they opted to shut Hossa down for the final two games of the regular season. Either way, the Slovakian winger will be ready to rock for Game 1 of Chicago's first-round playoff series.