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Gregory Hofmann

Switzerland, Slovakia Announce Olympic Rosters

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The 2022 Winter Olympics is inching closer, with pre-tournament games happening in just a few weeks. Several countries including the U.S. have announced the rosters that will compete next month and today two more revealed their NHL-less groups.

For Switzerland, it’s a roster with several familiar names including Gregory Hofmann, who only just terminated his contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Swiss finished tenth in 2018 after missing the quarterfinals because of a loss to the Czech Republic. This year they will have a chance at redemption, as they’re in a group with Czechia, the Russian Olympic Committee, and Denmark. The Swiss roster looks like this:

G Reto Berra
G Leonardo Genoni
G Joren Van Pottelberghe

D Santeri Alatalo
D Raphael Diaz
D Michael Fora
D Romain Loeffel
D Christian Marti
D Mirco Mueller
D Ramon Untersander
D Yannick Weber

F Andres Ambuhl
F Sven Andrighetto
F Christoph Bertschy
F Enzo Corvi
F Gaetan Haas
F Fabrice Herzog
F Gregory Hofmann
F Denis Hollenstein
F Denis Malgin
F Simon Moser
F Killian Mottet
F Sven Senteler
F Dario Simion
F Joel Vermin

Switzerland wasn’t alone announcing a roster today, as Slovakia also revealed the group that will travel to Beijing. Their group also has plenty of former NHL talent on it, though they’ll certainly be in tough during the group stage. Slovakia is in Group C, which also includes Finland, Sweden, and Latvia, meaning they’ll likely have to make it through the qualification playoff round.

Slovakia’s roster will look like this:

G Branislav Konrad
G Patrik Rybar
G Matej Tomek

D Michal Cajkovsky
D Peter Ceresnak
D Marek Daloga
D Martin Gernat
D Mario Grman
D Samuel Knazko
D Martin Marincin
D Simon Nemec

F Peter Cehlarik
F Marko Dano
F Adrian Holesinsky
F Marek Hrivik
F Libor Hudacek
F Tomas Jurco
F Milos Kelemen
F Michal Kristof
F Kristian Pospisil
F Pavol Regenda
F Milos Roman
F Juraj Slafkovsky
F Samuel Takac
F Peter Zuzin

Though Slovakia’s path to a medal will be difficult, their team should be very exciting. Nemec and Slafkovsky in particular are two names to watch, as top draft-eligible players for 2022. Nemec in particular has the ability to take over a game if given the chance, as he does on a routine basis for HK Nitra, his Slovakian club team. The 17-year-olds should be used to international competition by now, having both appeared at the World Championship last summer.

Gregory Hofmann Placed On Unconditional Waivers

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Jan 14: Hofmann has cleared waivers and will have his contract terminated.

Jan 13: A few days after informing the team that he would not be returning to North America, Gregory Hofmann has been placed on unconditional waivers according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The Blue Jackets had previously suspended Hofmann for not returning, with his Swiss team EV Zug announcing that he would rejoin them once the contract details in the NHL were dealt with.

Hofmann’s one-year, $900K contract with the Blue Jackets will be terminated tomorrow, technically making him an unrestricted free agent. He’ll be staying in Switzerland though, meaning his NHL journey will for now end at 24 games.

Those 24 games were actually relatively productive, as Hofmann recorded two goals and seven points for the Blue Jackets. He leaves as the current +/- leader on the team as well at +6. It’s an unfortunate situation for the Blue Jackets, especially after giving up so little to bring him over to North America in the first place. Last February, the team traded a 2022 seventh-round pick to the Carolina Hurricanes for Hofmann’s rights a decade after he was originally selected in the fourth round. The Hurricanes had never been able to sign him, but Columbus was able to bring him over now that he was no longer held to the entry-level system.

What remains on the $900K salary will not be paid out now that he’s gone, but Hofmann technically could sign a new deal with another NHL team at some point in the future. There’s not really any reason to believe he’ll do that though, as he is a star in the Swiss league he now returns to. A veteran of 11 seasons there, he had 41 points in 36 games for EV Zug in 2020-21 and scored the championship-clinching goal in the playoffs to take home his second career title.

Columbus Blue Jackets Suspend Gregory Hofmann

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Jan 11: EV Zug has announced that once “NHL transfer formalities” are completed, Hofmann will resume his contract there. That would suggest he will be placed on unconditional waivers today.

Jan 10: The Columbus Blue Jackets have decided that a suspension is their only option. Gregory Hofmann has been suspended indefinitely by the team, with general manager Jarmo Kekalainen offering the following explanation:

Gregory was given permission by the club to step away for personal reasons and informed us today that because of those reasons he has decided not to return. Obviously, we are disappointed, but we have no other recourse than to suspend him.

By suspending him without pay, Hofmann’s cap hit will not count toward the Blue Jackets’ total.

The 29-year-old forward signed a one-year, $900K contract with Columbus this offseason after a long career in Switzerland, and had played in 24 games so far this season. Though he had scored just two goals and seven points, his play had been impressive enough to earn more ice time of late, including nearly 20 minutes in his second to last game.

Given a leave of absence in late December, Hofmann’s reason at the time had to do with the birth of his first child. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic tweets that as recently as yesterday, Kekalainen had expected Hofmann to be back soon.

By suspending him instead of terminating his contract, the Blue Jackets will retain Hofmann’s rights through the end of the season. The Swiss league technically does not have a transfer agreement with the NHL and therefore could theoretically sign him, but they usually respect North American contracts (and related suspensions). Hofmann will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

Metropolitan Notes: Penguins, Georgiev, Hofmann, Kotkaniemi

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The Penguins received some good and bad news on the COVID front today.  The team announced (Twitter link) that winger Evan Rodrigues has been removed from protocols but center Jeff Carter has been placed in COVID protocol.  Rodrigues is in the middle of a career year for Pittsburgh with 23 points in 30 games while seeing regular minutes on the top line so he’ll be a welcome return.  Meanwhile, it’s the second time this season that Carter has been placed in COVID protocol.  The veteran is having a nice year in a top-six role, notching 17 points in 27 games so far.  Pittsburgh currently has eight players in COVID protocol.

More from the Metropolitan Division:

  • While Rangers goaltender Alexandar Georgiev isn’t thrilled about his current lack of playing time, Arthur Staple of The Athletic suggests (subscription link) that the team is unlikely to trade the netminder in advance of the March 21st trade deadline. With Igor Shesterkin’s injury history and the fact that Keith Kinkaid is their next best option, Georgiev may very well be more valuable to New York as an insurance policy than as a trade chip.  Accordingly, a move in the offseason when their cap situation gets trickier and more replacements are available seems like a better time for the netminder to be moved.
  • Blue Jackets winger Gregory Hofmann has taken a leave of absence for personal reasons, notes Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch (Twitter link). The 29-year-old has seven points in 24 games in his first NHL season after his rights were acquired from Carolina last season.  His wife is expecting the birth of their first child soon so there is no firm date yet for his return.
  • While there was plenty of speculation at the time that Jesperi Kotkaniemi signed his one-year, $6.1MM offer sheet with Carolina that the framework of a longer-term extension was also discussed, GM Don Waddell told Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription link) that there have been no discussions on that front as of yet. The 21-year-old is eligible to sign an extension as of Saturday but is off to a quieter start than he and the Hurricanes were hoping for as he has 14 points in 30 games this season while playing just 12:15 per game.  As a result, finding a price tag that both sides are comfortable with for a long-term contract may be difficult at this point.  Carolina will need to tender a $6.1MM qualifying offer this summer if no extension is reached by then.

Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Gregory Hofmann

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have officially signed Gregory Hofmann to a one-year contract after reports emerged last month that he was heading to North America. The deal will carry a cap hit of $900K according to CapFriendly and leaves Hofmann an unrestricted free agent after the 2021-22 season.

Acquired from the Carolina Hurricanes in February, Hofmann is already 28, but his draft rights never expired thanks to a lack of transfer agreement between the NHL and Switzerland’s National League. He had been picked 103rd overall way back in 2011 by the Hurricanes, but never signed, playing the last ten years overseas instead. Now, after his latest outstanding campaign for Zug EV, in which he recorded 41 points in 36 games, Hofmann is finally ready to test himself in North America.

Even if you’ve never watched a second of Swiss hockey, you’ve probably still seen Hofmann on the international stage. He has represented his country twice at the World Juniors, four times at the World Championships and once at the Olympics in 2018. In this most recent IIHF tournament, he scored six goals in eight games, tied for third behind Andrew Mangiapane and Liam Kirk. Offense is where he will make his money in the NHL, should he make it that far, as Hofmann is one of the most consistent scoring threats in Switzerland. In 2018-19 he reached a career-high of 30 goals in just 50 games, leading the entire league. No goal was more important than his final tally this season though, which clinched the league title for Zug.

On the surface, this is a move that has a chance to pay off quickly for the Blue Jackets. Hofmann has the potential to be a real contributor at the NHL level, especially on the powerplay, helping the team cure some of their goal-scoring ails. Still, there have been too many cases of European players coming and failing in North America to guarantee anything for the 5’10” forward, even if he has shown well against NHL talent internationally in the past.

Trade Deadline Summary: Central Division

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The NHL Trade Deadline has come and gone. A relatively slow day ended with a late burst, as many teams jumped into the mix at the last minute. How do you think your team did? Share your deadline grades in the comments for teams in the Central Division.

Carolina Hurricanes
Status: Buyer

In – F Cedric Paquette, D Jani Hakanpaa, D David Warsofsky, F Yegor Korshkov, 2022 sixth-round pick (ANA), 2022 seventh-round pick (CLB)
Out – F Ryan Dzingel, D Haydn Fleury, F Gregory Hofmann

Chicago Blackhawks
Status: Neutral

In – F Brett Connolly, F Vinnie Hinostroza, F Adam Gaudette, D Riley Stillman, F Henrik Borgstrom, F Josh Dickinson, F Ryder Rolston, 2021 second-round pick (VGK), 2022 third-round pick (VGK), 2021 fourth-round pick (MTL), 2021 seventh-round pick (FLA)
Out – F Mattias Janmark, F Carl Soderberg, F Matthew Highmore, F Lucas Wallmark, D Madison Bowey, D Lucas Carlsson, F Brad Morrison, 2021 fifth-round pick, 2022 fifth-round pick

Columbus Blue Jackets
Status: Seller

In – D Mikko Lehtonen, F Gregory Hofmann, 2021 first-round pick (TOR), 2021 first-round pick (TBL), 2022 third-round pick (TBL), 2022 fourth-round pick (TOR), conditional 2022 seventh-round pick (TOR)
Out – F Nick Foligno, D David Savard, F Riley Nash, G Veini Vehvilainen, 2022 seventh-round pick

Dallas Stars
Status: Neutral

In – None
Out – None

Detroit Red Wings
Status: Seller

In – F Jakub Vrana, F Richard Panik, F Hayden Verbeek, 2021 first-round pick (WAS), 2022 second-round pick (WAS), 2021 fourth-round pick (TBL), 2022 fourth-round pick (COL), 2021 fifth-round pick (OTT via MTL)
Out – F Anthony Mantha, D Patrik Nemeth, D Jon Merrill, D Brian Lashoff

Florida Panthers
Status: Buyer

In – F Sam Bennett, D Brandon Montour, F Lucas Wallmark, D Lucas Carlsson, F Brad Morrison, 2022 sixth-round pick (CGY)
Out – F Brett Connolly, F Vinnie Hinostroza, D Riley Stillman, F Henrik Borgstrom, F Emil Heineman, 2022 second-round pick, 2021 third-round pick, 2021 seventh-round pick

Nashville Predators
Status: Neutral

In – D Erik Gudbranson
Out – D Brandon Fortunato, 2023 seventh-round pick

Tampa Bay Lightning
Status: Buyer

In – D David Savard, D Fredrik Claesson, D Brian Lashoff, F Antoine Morand, conditional 2023 seventh-round pick
Out – F Alexander Volkov, G Magnus Chrona, 2021 first-round pick, 2022 third-round pick, 2021 fourth-round pick

Central Notes: Kucherov, Hurricanes, Hofmann, Panthers

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While he was ruled out for the year before the regular season got underway, Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov has resumed skating and is on pace to return for the start of the playoffs, notes Joe Smith of the Athletic (Twitter link).  The 27-year-old actually did some light work with Tampa Bay in practice although he’s still long way away from being ready to return.

The big question will be when he is indeed ready to play.  The Lightning can’t afford to activate him off LTIR at all this season due to their salary cap situation but if he has started light skating drills already, it may also be difficult to argue that he’ll need two full months to recover and then immediately be ready for game one of the playoffs just days later.  It’s certainly going to be something to keep an eye on although Tampa Bay is certainly thrilled that their top-scoring forward is doing well in his recovery from offseason surgery.

Elsewhere in the Central:

  • The Hurricanes have a few areas that they’d like to improve between now and the trade deadline, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports in the latest 31 Thoughts podcast (audio link). In particular, a stay-at-home defenseman to offset some of their more offensive-minded options, a depth forward, and goaltending depth are the areas that Friedman highlighted although they may be hard-pressed to try to address all three of those.
  • The Blue Jackets’ acquisition of Gregory Hofmann from Carolina last month came as a surprise considering the 28-year-old had two years left on his deal in Switzerland. However, EV Zug GM Reto Klay told Zentralplus’ Andreas Ineichen that Hofmann is expected to sign with Columbus as soon as later this season once the NLA playoffs are over.  The winger has 17 goals and 21 assists in just 33 games this season and will not be subject to entry-level restrictions on his first NHL contract due to his age and could be an intriguing addition for the stretch run.
  • The Panthers will have winger Anthony Duclair and defenseman Anton Stralman back in their lineup tonight against Chicago, relays George Richards of Florida Hockey Now (Twitter link). Duclair has done relatively well in his first season with Florida, picking up two goals and eight assists in 19 games and had missed the last six games with a lower-body injury.  Meanwhile, Stralman, who had missed four straight with a lower-body issue of his own, sits third among Florida blueliners in ATOI at 20:09 per contest.

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