The St. Louis Blues are reportedly interested in forward Mike Hoffman of the Ottawa Senators. With the Senators lurking near the bottom of the Atlantic Division, it’s believed that Sens GM Pierre Dorion is willing to discuss almost every player on his roster. The Ottawa Sun discusses a few different scenarios, including one that suggests Blues GM Doug Armstrong is connected to Hoffman.
Via the Ottawa Sun:
League executives also believe several teams have spoken to Dorion about Hoffman, who has a salary-cap hit of $5.1 million through 2019-20. It’s believed the St. Louis Blues are among the frontrunners, with GM Doug Armstrong willing to part with the necessary assets in exchange for Hoffman.
If you’re unfamiliar, Hoffman is a 28-year-old left wing who is in the second year of a four-year deal worth an average cap hit of $5,187,500. Hoffman made his NHL debut back in 2011-12, but his first major success in the league was in 2014-15 when he scored 27 goals and 48 points in 79 games. From there, he scored 29 goals and 59 points in 2015-16 before adding 26 goals and 61 points last season. He has nine goals and 24 points through 35 games this season.
What “necessary assets” would it take to land a player like Hoffman? Realistically, some significant ones as Hoffman is arguably a top-10 LW. That doesn’t mean Armstrong is going to cut loose some of the team’s best prospects, but it does suggest the Blues feel like they have enough assets to get a deal like this done.
With the Blues’ offense stumbling (that’s being nice considering their historically bad December), a trade that could upgrade the team’s forwards is attractive … assuming the names going the other way don’t include Kyrou, Thomas or Kostin. Hoffman will fetch a handsome price, but will Blues fans be willing to pay it?
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