Marian Hossa's Blackhawks Career Is Off to a Smashing Start

What has been a bizarre offseason in Chicago, complete with lost mail and unexpected general manager changes, has turned downright disappointing if you're a Blackhawks fan.

Word surfaced earlier this week that newly-acquired forward Marian Hossa was fighting a shoulder injury that could require surgery, and ultimately keep him out of the lineup until December. The team announced on Thursday that Hossa will in fact be going under the knife to repair a small tear in his rotator cuff. Estimated recovery time? Four months.

General manager Stan Bowman offered the following on the team's official Web site:

"Marian's injury did not respond sufficiently to our non-operative treatment over the last three weeks so we have collectively decided today to go ahead with the surgery ... Marian is a franchise player and we want what is best for him and the Blackhawks long-term. This was a mutual decision and one we feel very confident is the right one."

Hossa signed a 12-year, $62 million contract on the first day of free agency, changing teams for the second consecutive offseason. Neil Hayes of the Chicago Sun-Times appears to be rather livid with the team's decision to cover up the injury, while Second City Hockey offers up an important point to keep in mind: the playoffs start in April, not November.

That's certainly fair, but it's also quite reasonable to ask how effective Hossa will be post-surgery, and how much of an impact that will have on Chicago's success in the first half of the season.