Boston Bruins: RFA Mike Hoffman Should Be Targeted In Free Agency This Offseason As Bruins Look To Re-Tool
The revolving door in the Bruins’ top six wing positions was a problem last season. It was also the direct result of the inability of any one player to step up and fully establish themselves as a quality top six winger. With the futures of both Loui Eriksson and Lee Stempniak, the latter of whom is a stretch in a top line role, completely unknown, there’s a solid chance things will become even more unstable. While the best case scenario would be for a younger player like Frank Vatrano or Seth Griffith to take the next step and steal the job, chances are that Don Sweeney will need to look elsewhere to solidify an unclear top six, especially with the spotlight on him following another disappointing season.
Enter Ottawa Senator’s winger and RFA, Mike Hoffman. The 6’1” 180 pound Center turned Left Winger is coming off his second full season in the NHL, one that saw him improve upon his numbers and post 29 goals and 30 assists to go with a plus 1 rating in 78 games for a less than stellar Senators squad. Hoffman played out the one year/2 million dollar contract Ottawa gave him after they held out for arbitration. They had originally refused the 3.4 million he felt he was worth, leaving both sides with a sour taste in their mouth. Another stat that should be of interest to Bruins’ fans is the 242 shots Hoffman fired on net, which would have placed him just behind Brad Marchand in third on the Bruins 2015-16 team. This was done while averaging just 17:32 minutes a game.
Hoffman is a shoot first type of winger who also possess the ability to set up line mates. A speedy winger who is calm with the puck and can consistently beat goalies cleanly with a blistering wrist shot is the type of player David Krecji’s line has been sorely lacking. While Hoffman’s defensive game may not be able to match that of Eriksson, there aren’t a lot of forwards who can. A complaint Ottawa seemed to have about Hoffman was due to his consistency, he started this past season with 32 points in the first 34 games, before cooling off, but then finished strong with 12 points in Ottawa’s final 11 games. While consistency can certainly be a legitimate cause for concern, it becomes less so when considering this is a player in just his second season. It’s not unusual for players to slump at any point in their career, let alone so early. Hoffman could be a great benefit to the Bruins, and fill the “sniper” role that Brett Connolly was expected to fill.
Next: Boston Bruins Will Improve Team Via Free Agency
As of now, there has been no news regarding contract talks between Hoffman and the Senators and no qualifying offer has been extended to him as of yet. Sweeney and the Bruins should seriously consider putting an offer sheet in for Hoffman, or possibly even trading for his negotiation rights much in the way Colorado did for Carl Soderberg last season.