Hoffman eager for reunion with Boucher
• After sitting down with Mike Hoffman’s camp for breakfast on Tuesday, Pierre Dorion got a big job off his plate on Wednesday.
The Senators GM couldn’t hide his excitement after signing the winger to a four- year, US$ 20.75million deal that will pay him an average of $5.185 million per season through 2019-20.
“It’s just a great day for the organization,” Dorion said on a conference call on Wednesday morning. “I shouldn’t tell you this, but I actually hugged ( assistant GM) Randy Lee.”
That’s OK, Ottawa hockey fans were doing a group hug on social media as well after the Senators avoided going to an arbitration hearing with one of their top goal scorers and opted to keep him on a long- term contract that makes sense for both sides.
Hoffman, 26, who set a careerhigh with 29 goals — including nine power- play markers — and 59 points last season was thrilled to sign the contract. The offer was made by the Senators on Tuesday night, but he opted to sleep on the contract overnight before his agent Rob Hooper called Dorion in the morning.
“My main goal was to come to an agreement with Ottawa,” said Hoffman from his Kitchener, Ont., home. “It’s a team that I want to play for. I’m really looking forward to working with Guy Boucher again.
“I love the city, the fans and it just seems like it’s a good fit for me. My first priority was to try to get the job done with Ottawa.”
Make no mistake, the hiring of Boucher to replace Dave Cameron played a big role in the Senators getting this deal done. The two were together during their junior days with the Drummondville Voltigeurs and the Senators are excited with the way Hoffman is going to be utilized by Boucher.
There were instances under Cameron when Hoffman’s ice time was limited because the Senators didn’t like the way the winger per- formed in his own end.
“I think ( Boucher) is going to be great for myself,” Hoffman said. “He knows how to work with me. He’s a great coach. He’s going to be great for all the players in Ottawa and I’m really looking forward to working with him.
“He set me on the right road (in Drummondville). I came in there as a young player and I needed to learn a lot. He teaches you a lot about on-ice and off-ice behaviour. I give a lot of credit to my career on his coaching and what he did for me in Drummondville.”
Dorion said he was determined to get this deal done.
“We see Mike as a huge piece of our team,” said Dorion. “This was something where we wanted to avoid arbitration and we wanted a contract that was fair for both sides. I think both sides are extremely happy today.
“We just feel that Mike’s productivity can only get better under Guy Boucher and getting him a longer-term contract makes everyone happy.”
The Senators went to arbitration with Hoffman last year and won when he was awarded a oneyear deal worth US$ 2 million. They were prepared to go through the process again this summer, but that wasn’t anybody’s preference. Hoffman was able to prove last year the 27 goals he scored in 201415 were no accident.
“It’s great. I’m extremely happy we could come to an agreement on a deal,” Hoffman said.
“( Arbitration is) part of the business. Sometimes you have to go and I didn’t want it to ruin the relationship between myself and the hockey club. I think everyone handled themselves very professionally. I had to prove myself again — I didn’t just want to be a one- hit wonder kind of guy. Last year, I think I showed what I can do in this league and I’m really looking forward to moving on.”
Now the ball is in Hoffman’s court to continue to improve.
“The thing that’s exciting about Mike Hoffman is he’s going to play for a coach (who) Mike has been productive (with). I know it’s junior and it’s a different thing, but they have a history together,” said Dorion.