We’re now more than a month into NHL free agency and Mike Hoffman still sits on the open market without a contract. The 30-year-old forward is taking his time with what could be a career-changing decision, but it is still unclear where exactly he will eventually land.
From the start of free agency we’ve heard almost every team linked to Hoffman in some sort of speculation, with even his old team the Florida Panthers linked recently. There have been some like the Philadelphia Flyers who apparently haven’t reached out despite a potential need, but the longer it goes on the more teams may believe they can get a bargain.
But where is the right fit for Hoffman? When we polled the PHR community a few weeks ago, the vote was split on whether the free agent should be looking for a one-year contract or still trying to secure a multi-year deal. We already saw players like Taylor Hall and Tyson Barrie take one-year deals to try and build their value for a bigger contract next summer, but is that the right fit for a player who hasn’t really experienced any inconsistency on the ice?
Hoffman, the best pure goal scorer among any of the free agents this year, has found the back of the net 169 times over the past six seasons. That includes 29 goals in just 69 games this year, easily on pace to crack the 30-goal mark for the second consecutive season had it not been stopped prematurely.
Lots of teams could use that kind of instant offense, especially on the powerplay. Despite finishing tenth overall in the regular season and going all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals, the Dallas Stars wouldn’t be considered an offensive juggernaut. In fact, the team scored just 178 goals in the regular season, putting them 29 out of 31 teams. The Columbus Blue Jackets had a similar story, relying on tight defense and strong goaltending to go as far as they did. Columbus recently lost Gustav Nyquist to a long-term injury as well, meaning their search for goals may be increased even further.
But even those teams that can score should be interested in the 30-goal man. The Colorado Avalanche had the fourth most goals scored in the entire league but were still in the bottom-half in powerplay percentage. Hoffman has scored 60 powerplay goals in his career, more even than Nathan MacKinnon despite playing in fewer games.
Why not even consider a team that is still rebuilding, like the Detroit Red Wings? On a short-term deal, Hoffman would be guaranteed plenty of powerplay time and shifts next to the team’s best players and could test the market again down the road. The team on the other hand could potentially move him at the deadline to a contender for some added assets.
There’s a case to be made for almost every team in the league, assuming that Hoffman comes at a reasonable price. But which is the absolute best fit? Cast your vote below and leave your thoughts in the comments.
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Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Perhaps his off-ice issues are the problem. Anyone in Ottawa knows exactly why he was shipped out of town, and it’s quite possible teams are hesitant to sign him because of that.
He doesn’t have issues, there are reported issues with his long term gf. Maybe he has to play the field more than the game and he might get a few more looks from teams.
Reported issues with his long term gf harassing the gf of a teammate. Credible enough reports that the courts were involved. That’s what I meant, teams might be hesitant to sign him knowing she’s part of the package.
Unless him or EK65 get a divorce i would say the sharks are out.
Is it possible a team has a hand-shake agreement and just needs to wait to move salary to the injured list?