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Q: I have an opinion about Ray Shero's acquisition of Marian Hossa, and whether he will be signed to a long-term contract. Basically, can you name a forward who would not like to play on Crosby's line, or be a part of the future of the Penguins? Maybe a few, but don't you think the Penguins, barring bad luck, are pretty much the near future of the NHL?

Jim Wilson, Ocean City, N.J.

MOLINARI: There's no question that just about any winger would like to have Sidney Crosby for a linemate, and very little doubt that the Penguins have a chance to be a major force in the NHL for quite a few years. What's far less certain is whether any of those factors will have a significant influence on whether Hossa (or any other free-agent-to-be) re-signs with the Penguins after this season, even if the front office determines it can make the kind of long-term, big-money commitment he is sure to seek.

Fact is, precedent suggests that it would be unrealistic for the Penguins to assume that they could retain Hossa for appreciably less than market value because of things like quality linemates and/or the team's potential for success in the near future. Those things might be nice tiebreakers if an offer from the Penguins is similar to one Hossa gets elsewhere, but the hard reality is that most players -- it remains to be seen whether Hossa fits into this category -- are interested in maximizing their earnings, and that everything else is secondary.

There are exceptions, to be sure, and there even are a few like Crosby who will accept less money because he believes it will help management keep a competitive team intact, but the majority of players are bottom-line mercenaries. There's nothing wrong with that, because players who reach this level have spent a lifetime trying to excel at their line of work, and the window of opportunity to earn major money doesn't stay open all that long for most of them.

Now, it could be that Hossa, once he actually plays alongside Crosby for a while, will decide that there's nowhere he'd rather be, and conclude that he could have no higher calling than helping the Penguins to chase Stanley Cups for the next five or six or seven years. But if the Penguins decide to make a serious attempt to keep him this summer, they should enter the negotiations expecting to offer something very close, if not equal, to what Hossa will be able to get from other clubs.

Q: In 2004, Johannes Salmonsson was projected as a first-round pick, so it seemed to be a steal when the Pens got him in the second. Since then, I haven't heard a thing about his progress, other than he went back to Sweden to play. Does he figure to ever play in a Penguins uniform?

Ken Feaster, Selbyville, Del.

MOLINARI: The answer to that question should emerge sometime in the next few months. The Penguins own Salmonsson's NHL rights until June 1, so they'll have to figure out before then if they want to offer him a contract. That decision likely will be made during the annual spring meeting of their front office and scouting staff.

Salmonsson really hasn't done much lately to convince the Penguins that he should be part of their future, however. He had no goals and one assist in nine games with Brynas in Sweden's Elitserien earlier this season, then was assigned to a lower league in order to get more playing time.

Salmonsson has a history of shoulder problems and his only experience with North American hockey was pretty forgettable, as he had 12 goals and 15 assists in 54 games with Spokane of the Western Hockey League a few winters ago. Although he was known as a quality goal-producer when he was drafted, Salmonsson really hasn't done much since then to polish his reputation for scoring.