Forward Mike Hoffman was traded twice in a span of 12 hours yesterday. Hoffman was traded from the Ottawa Senators to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for forward Mikkel Boedker,
defenseman Julius Bergman and a
Sixth-round pick (2020). Are you with me so far?
The Sharks then traded Hoffman to the Florida Panthers in exchange for a 2019 second-round pick, a 2018 fourth-round pick and a 2018 fifth-round pick.
So. Why was Hoffman traded twice in one morning? Two reasons. One: Hoffman and former teammate Erik Karlsson did not get along and the spat led to issues between Hoffman’s fiancé and Karlsson’s wife. Senators general manager Pierre Dorion wanted better chemistry in the locker room so he traded Hoffman. Two: The Senators wanted to shed some salary. Dorion may not be done. Karlsson might also be on the move.
As for the Sharks, they traded Hoffman because they wanted more picks and salary space to make a run at John Tavares. The Panthers were a natural fit, especially because Panthers general manager Dale Tallon had inquired about Hoffman last week. He had been looking to add a goal scoring left winger.
Hoffman should fit in nicely with the young Panthers as a second line left wing. He is a natural goal scorer with a quick release and an ability to score from multiple areas. Florida lost two quality players who provided offense and depth in Reilly Smith and Jonathan Marchessault . Both were drafted in the expansion draft by Vegas. Hoffman should fill some of that void.
Hoffman’s ADP was sixth among left wingers coming into last season. He can score and he provides quality depth to your fantasy line up. I don’t think he will be drafted as high this season because Florida is a more talented team offensively but he should still be one of first ten to twelve left wingers to be drafted.
Bottom line, Hoffman will still be productive in Florida and it is a place he can thrive.