Hoffman still plays the waiting game
Injured Senators forward might miss team’s two road contests in Florida
Mike Hoffman was on the ice for the optional skate Friday morning at PNC Arena.
But he didn’t have the option to play Friday night.
The Senators winger missed his second straight game with a groin injury he suffered last Sunday against the Winnipeg Jets and suddenly there’s no timetable for Hoffman’s return from the ailment.
While the Senators are confident he’d be able to suit up Sunday against the Florida Panthers or Monday against the Tampa Bay Lightning when the club wraps up their current road trip, coach Guy Boucher indicated that may not be the case.
“For (Hoffman), it’s clear cut — he wants to play but he can’t. Physically, he can’t,” Boucher said before the Senators faced the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday night. “He’s legitimately injured and I don’t even know if he can play this weekend.
“Right now, I’m not optimistic about it.”
As for winger Mark Stone (neck), he was on the ice for the optional skate, but also wasn’t able to suit up Friday night. He has a better chance of playing this weekend.
Boucher said the Senators need to make sure Hoffman takes care of this groin injury right now because they don’t want it to be something that hampers his play down the stretch.
“Groin injuries can be deadly,” Boucher said. “You think you’re OK and then you push it a little bit and you snap it then you’re gone for three weeks and that’s exactly what we don’t want.
“It’s crunch time. The standings are so close and, of course, we want to win every game, but if we have to sit him out for three to four games to make sure we have him for the next month, then that’s what we have to do.” EARS TO THE GROUND: It’s that time of year where there’s no shortage of gossip and with the Senators on an eight-day road trip, GM Pierre Dorion has spent plenty of time trying to make a trade with the deadline set for Wednesday at 3 p.m.
Assistant GM Randy Lee joined the road trip Thursday in Raleigh so he can be available for Dorion, who’d like to acquire a forward.
Asked if he wondered who Dorion was talking to every time he walked by him with his cellphone to his ear, winger Zack Smith didn’t miss a beat.
“You hope you don’t hear your name when you’re walking by him. You might just want to cover your ears,” Smith said with a laugh.
It’s an interesting time of year for the management, players, fans and media.
“This year I feel like it kind of snuck up on us. It’s a little nerveracking at times, whether you’re a guy involved in trade talks or if you have a friend involved in that situation,” said Smith, who signed a four-year extension last month and isn’t going anywhere.
“After Carolina’s trade (of defenceman Ron Hainsey to Pittsburgh on Wednesday), you kind of realize it’s coming to that time. You try not to think about it. For the most part, guys don’t and can’t because it’s completely out of your control. You try and stay away from watching the (trade shows).”
Defenceman Mark Borowiecki said the fact the Senators aren’t sellers at this deadline eases some of the pressure on the group.
“It’s always a unique situation,” Borowiecki said. “It kind of varies guy by guy on how you approach it. It’s nice to be in a comfortable position. When you’re bottom of the pack, you know changes are coming.
“Honestly, whatever happens, happens. It’s cheesy, every hockey player says it, but it’s out of your control. You just try to prepare yourself to go with the flow. (Playing) is the priority but if something happens, it happens.” THE LAST WORDS: Captain Erik Karlsson suited up for his 308th consecutive game Friday since he came returned from the torn Achilles he suffered on Feb. 13, 2013, against the Penguins. That moved him into sole possession of second place in club history. Karlsson surpassed centre Kyle Turris, who was second on the list with 307 ... The Hurricanes will likely move forwards Viktor Stalberg and Jay McClement before next week’s deadline, but GM Ron Francis is keeping an eye on the marketplace. He said a lot of teams are waiting to see what happens before making a decision on what kind of deal they’ll make. “There’s been a lot of dialogue, but it’s been an interesting year because for a long part of it everybody was so bunched together,” Francis said ... Ottawa golfer Brad Fritsch, a member of the PGA Tour, has a couple of weeks off and lives in the area, so he was a spectator at the game Friday night with his family. Fritsch is sponsored by the Senators, so the team’s logo is on his shirt and golf bag ... It was ‘You Can Play’ night at the PNC Arena during the Senators-Hurricanes game. It’s part of an initiative by the NHL, the NHL Players’ Association and the You Can Play project to celebrate “Hockey is for Everyone” month. The project was formed to bring attention to LGBTQ rights. Some of the Ottawa and Carolina players supported it by using ‘Pride Tape’ on their sticks. bgarrioch@postmedia.com