from Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet,

According to several sources, there is a legitimate possibility Hossa has played his final NHL game. (He could not be reached for comment. Neither could his agent, Ritch Winter. The Blackhawks declined to comment.) Apparently, he suffers from a serious allergic reaction to the equipment he wears.

The sources who confirmed the allergy stressed not to make fun of it, with one saying, “It’s only funny to anyone who’s never had it.” Details are sketchy, because no one would give full information, but the medication necessary to combat the allergy is potent enough that doctors wanted his blood tested every few weeks to make sure there were no major side effects....

But it would not come without controversy. The Blackhawks signed him to a 12-year, $63.3-million deal in 2009, which carries an annual average value of $5.275 million. It is, however, a back-diving contract, a structure that was heavily penalized in the 2013 CBA.

Hossa is scheduled to be paid $1 million during each of the next four seasons, meaning almost 94 per cent of his contract is already paid. If he were to retire now, the Blackhawks would be hit with what are called “cap recapture” penalties — $3.675 million off their club’s cap number from next season until 2020-21. For a team already facing a crunch, that’s a massive blow.

Unless he doesn’t retire. He simply goes on long-term injured reserve....

more on Hossa and of course other topics too...