Hoffman’s exit all but assured
It should be possible for the Senators to get a decent return for the playmaking winger
What now for Mike Hoffman and the Ottawa Senators?
That’s the decision for Senators general manager Pierre Dorion after Postmedia reported Tuesday that Melinda Karlsson, the wife of Ottawa captain Erik Karlsson, has asked for an order of protection against Hoffman’s fiancée Monika Caryk because of alleged online cyberbullying.
When word leaked last week the Senators were actively shopping the high-scoring Hoffman, many wondered why that was the case and there’s no question this news is a factor in why the organization has decided to move on from one its most talented players.
The indications were Wednesday the Senators have stepped up their efforts to deal Hoffman and would like to have a trade in place as soon as possible. Can the Senators get value in return for the high-scoring winger or is the asset diminished?
The belief is Ottawa can still get a good return for Hoffman if the club can find the right fit.
Ideally, the Senators would like to trade Hoffman before next week’s NHL draft is held at the American Airlines Center in Dallas and there’s no shortage of opinions whether this news is going to hurt the return Ottawa is going to get for Hoffman.
It’s not known what the asking price for Hoffman is, but you have to think the Senators want a first-round pick in 2019 plus a player that can help them right away or a high-end prospect. That guess is just based on past history and the fact that would make sense.
The Senators have already agreed to send their first-round pick in 2019 to the Colorado Avalanche as part of the Matt Duchene deal, so getting one now would assure the organization has one in place if the club doesn’t make the playoffs next season.
Make no mistake, there was no shortage of interest in Hoffman before this news broke and if teams are given the opportunity to do their due diligence before making a deal then there’s a good chance that interest isn’t likely to go away.
It’s believed more than 10 teams have expressed interest in Hoffman, who has 107 career goals and 230 points in 342 NHL games. He had 22 goals last season and many see him with the capability to score 30 goals because he’s got a tremendous shot.
The Minnesota Wild, Dallas Stars, Vancouver Canucks, Arizona Coyotes, St. Louis Blues, New Jersey Devils and Buffalo Sabres are all in the market for offence, which means they may have kicked tires on Hoffman.
The belief Wednesday was the Blues may be the most aggressive team in pursuit of Hoffman. It should be noted they showed more than a passing interest before last year’s deadline.
The Toronto Maple Leafs need to deal with unrestricted free-agent winger James van Riemsdyk, who is expected to go to market, and the Montreal Canadiens have a decision to make on captain Max Pacioretty because he’s been rumoured to be moved as well.
Depending on those two situations, they may show interest in the 28-year-old Hoffman as well, but the Senators are going to have to push these talks along to help make this become reality. New Minnesota GM Paul Fenton is tasked with making changes and may be the most active.
Hoffman, has two years at a cap hit of approximately $5.2 million per season left on his contract, but it may be in the Senators’ best interests to let any team that wants to acquire him discuss the situation with Hoffman and agent Robert Hooper.
Teams will want to find out exactly what went on and why the situation devolved to the point that these accusations are being made. It certainly sounds like the dressing room was fractured by this last season and teams will want to hear what Hoffman has to say.
Hooper told Postmedia Tuesday it would be hard for Karlsson and Hoffman to “coexist” in the same dressing room. No, Hoffman hasn’t asked for a trade, but he knows the “writing is on the wall” and the reality is a move is a forgone conclusion.
If Hoffman wants to help facilitate a move, then he has to do his part as well. He has a 10-team “no-trade” list as part of his contract, but it would make more sense if he gave the Senators carte blanche to at least speak with all 30 of their opponents to make a move.
That would allow Dorion to negotiate with whoever he wants and would give the Senators a better opportunity to get the proper return for Hoffman because the market would be wide open.
What’s happened here is ugly and sad.
It’s another bad news story in 10-month period that has been full of them for this team. The Senators’ only option is to trade Hoffman and then sit down with Karlsson on July 1 to see if he wants to sign an extension here.
Right now, the focus is on getting Hoffman a new destination and that can’t happen soon enough for all three parties involved in this.
The belief is Ottawa can still get a good return for (Mike) Hoffman if the club can find the right fit.