Sens, Hoffman avoid arbitration
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 longerterm contract makes everyone happy.”
Dorion along with Lee sat down with Hooper in Ottawa Tuesday morning and that’s when the two sides were able to find common ground.
“We seemed to be very close,” Dorion said.
The Senators went to arbitration last year and won when he was given a one-year deal worth $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 25 goals he scored 2014-15 weren’t an accident.
“It’s great. I’m extremely happy we could come to an agreement on a deal,” Hoffman said. “We went through the arbitration thing last summer and I didn’t really want to go through that again. Coming to terms with Ottawa definitely feels good.
“(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 he) has been productive (with). I know it’s junior and it’s a different thing, but they have a history together,” said Dorion.
“We’re excited that they can grow together and Mike won’t just accept scoring 30 goals but his game can just be even more rounded. We’re excited about how Guy is going to use him on the power play and it can only be more fruitful to our team. He can be even more productive. We’ve invested in Mike Hoffman for all these years.”
Smiles, and hugs, all around.
What's the deal?
Mike Hoffman signed a four-year, $20.75-million deal with the Senators Wednesday. Here is the breakdown of the contract. He has a standard ‘No Trade’ in the final three years of the deal where he can list 10 teams that the Senators can’t send him. 2016-17: $3.8 milliion 2017-18: $5.65 million 2018-19: $5.65 million 2019-20: $5.65 million