Hoffman Traded to San Jose (and Florida)

SensChirp June 19, 2018 0
Hoffman Traded to San Jose (and Florida)

The Ottawa Senators have dealt with the Mike Hoffman situation.

This morning, the Sens announced that Hoffman is on his way to San Jose. Here’s how the trade breaks down.

Not exactly a huge return but probably the best they could do in this situation.

In the past week, there has been plenty of talk about the fact that Hoffman’s trade dropping due to his off-ice situation and today’s trade is proof of that.

Boedker is a useful player but at $4 million a year for the next couple seasons, he’s probably a tad overpaid. His contract was front-loaded though so he’ll only earn $3 million in each of the next two seasons. The 28 year old put up 15 goals and 37 points in 74 games last season.

Julius Bergman is a 22 year old defenceman that has spent the last three seasons in the American Hockey League. He has 61 points in 190 AHL games.  He was listed 7th on a list of top prospects in the Sharks organization.

Pierre Dorion commented on the trade afterwards and sent a pretty clear signal that a big part of this deal was dealing with the obvious issues in the locker room.

“Today’s trade showcases our determination to strengthen the future of the team by improving chemistry, leadership and character in the locker room and on the ice. We are confident it is a step in the right direction for the long-term success of this organization.”

The Senators are going to take a lot of heat for the return here and it’s probably justified. Just four months ago they were looking for a 1st round pick and a top prospect in return for Hoffman and instead they get whatever this is.

That’s just the reality of the situation they found themselves in though and I’m not sure it’s really Pierre Dorion’s fault. These were exceptional circumstances and the GM had to act quickly.  Add to that the fact that some teams weren’t happy with the lack of disclosure on the specifics of the Hoffman situation and it’s clear the Senators were backed into a corner.

But that was only the beginning, apparently.

The San Jose Sharks then flipped Mike Hoffman to the Florida Panthers along with a 2018 seventh round pick in exchange for Florida’s 2019 2nd round pick, 2018 4th round pick and 2018 5th round pick.