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After a couple of nearly identical seasons in Montreal -- 35 and 34 points, both in 67 games -- Hoffman found himself on his way to San Jose as part of the three-team Erik Karlsson trade in August. It's mostly a lateral move for Hoffman. He was a middle-six option during the Canadiens' recent rebuilding years, and a similar role likely awaits him with the Sharks, though he should see a slight uptick in power-play time with his new club. At his best, he's been a 30-goal, 60-point winger. However, it's been three years since he's come anywhere close to those marks. Expect the winger to remain a volume shooter, but his fantasy value will be tied to whether he can maintain a spot alongside Tomas Hertl or Logan Couture throughout the 2023-24 campaign.
Hoffman's first season in Montreal was a strange one. A noted sniper who doesn't provide a ton of value if he isn't putting the puck in the net, Hoffman scored 11 goals in his first 62 games. His four tallies in the final five games got him to 15 goals for the eighth consecutive season. Hoffman's minus-24 rating was horrendous, while his 13 power play points were his least since the 2015-16 season with Ottawa. Hoffman has one year left on his contract with a cap hit of $4.5 million. The 32-year-old should be given ample opportunity to author a rebound performance, but expectations need to be kept in check given the struggles of a season ago.
One of the most consistent goal scorers in the NHL over the last several years, Hoffman struggled with the Blues last season. He scored 17 goals and 36 points, both career lows, while averaging 15:04 of ice time in 52 games. Despite that, he shot a career-high 15 percent on 113 shots. That was enough for the 31-year-old winger to secure a three-year deal to join the Canadiens this offseason. Hoffman should see a slight boost in his playing time while maintaining a role in Montreal's top six. Assuming he can stay around his career 12 percent shooting mark, he should be able to climb back into the 25-30 goal range this year.
Hoffman will attend the Blues' training camp on a professional tryout offer, but that's only because St. Louis will need to put Vladimir Tarasenko (shoulder) and Alexander Steen (back) on long-term injured reserve before officially signing Hoffman. The 31-year-old winger projects to skate in a top-six role while being featured prominently on one of St. Louis' power-play units, so he'll have 20-plus goal, 45-plus point upside this year, and should average over three shots per contest, making him a solid snag in the middle rounds of fantasy drafts.
After a tumultuous offseason in which he was traded twice, Hoffman finally landed in Florida and produced the best season of his career, setting personal bests in goals (36) and points (70). He's a liability in his own end -- as evidenced by Hoffman's minus-24 rating last season -- but that problem should be masked a bit by the Panthers' offseason acquisition of star goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. The winger tied for fourth in league power-play goals (17) and sixth in points with the man advantage (35), so any shortcomings at even strength are outweighed by his finishing ability in the offensive zone.
After an eventful 2018 offseason which saw Hoffman traded twice on the same day, the former Ottawa Senator is set to start his career as a Panther this season. Off-ice drama aside, Hoffman was a terrific winger during his time in Ottawa, scoring 104 goals and 224 points over the last four years. He has become a serious threat on the man advantage, posting 21 goals and 47 points over the past two seasons alone. The 28-year-old Ontario native is expected to see a familiar role in Florida, slotting in as a top-six winger and likely carving out a spot on the No. 1 power-play unit as well. All told, Hoffman figures to remain a consistent 20-25 goal scorer with 50-plus points during the 2018-19 campaign.
Hoffman had his best year as a pro in 2016-17, setting career highs in assists (35) and points (61) in 74 games with the Senators. The 27-year-old winger was one of Ottawa’s most potent offensive weapons last season, ranking second on the team in scoring behind Norris Trophy finalist Erik Karlsson. A 2009 fifth-round pick who’s made good, Hoffman is locked into a top-six role and is also a key member of the team’s top power-play unit. He racked up 26 of his 61 points while skating with the man advantage, averaging a notable 3:11 of power-play ice time per game. There’s no reason to believe Hoffman won't return to the same role this season, so he should be able to surpass the 60-point threshold for a second consecutive campaign in 2017-18, making him a valuable asset in all fantasy formats.
With coach Dave Cameron out of Ottawa, Hoffman's future just got slightly brighter. Even with his best performance as a pro – 29 tallies, 30 assists and 242 shots on goal – the Canadian winger found himself in the doghouse late in the season, putting a dent in a potential 60-plus-point campaign. New coach Guy Boucher is familiar with the 26-year-old, as he coached him in the QMJHL, so don’t expect him to be held back anymore. Hoffman has the potential for 30-plus goals skating with newcomer Derick Brassard and Bobby Ryan, especially if he continues to launch the puck and see power-play time – and there's no reason he shouldn't. If he’s rewarded with a top-line position, the sky's the limit for Hoffman as he enters his third full NHL campaign.
After getting stuck in the AHL for most of the last four seasons, Hoffman was starting to look like he was on the path to being a career minor leaguer. But a dominating AHL campaign in 2013-14 (30 goals and 67 points in just 51 games) earned him a job with the Senators, and last year, that gig turned into a 27-goal, 48-point season in Ottawa. Hoffman has an outstanding shot, and he's not afraid to use it -- after he fired 199 pucks on net despite averaging only 14:33 of ice time last year, it's easy to imagine Hoffman's shot total spiking to 250 or higher with the top-six minutes he'll likely enjoy this year. It won't be surprising if Hoffman clears 30 goals and supplants Clarke MacArthur as the Senators' top-line left wing this season.
Hoffman recorded 13 goals and 15 assists to go along with 38 PIM in 41 games last year for AHL Binghamton, but failed to crack the scoresheet in three contests with the Senators. He will likely spend most of the year down in the AHL again in 2013-14, but could fill a need for Ottawa if injuries occur.
Hoffman is an under-the-radar left winger who could be very close to earning a regular position in the NHL in Ottawa depending on how well his training camp goes. He's fast, highly skilled, and has put in exactly two years with the Binghamton Senators. The 22-year-old Hoffman lead the B-Sens in scoring last season, notching 21 goals and 28 assists in 76 games.
Hoffman should spend most of the 2011-12 season with Ottawa's AHL affiliate in Binghamton, but if he shows the progress he made during the 2011 AHL Playoffs, he has an outside chance of seeing a few games with the big club if injuries occur to Ottawa's forward ranks. The former Saint John Sea Dog and 2010 QMJHL MVP, Hoffman is one of the most purely skilled offensive forwards in Ottawa's system. While he doesn't garner much attention as he was a late round pick in 2009 (130th overall), he has all the tools to excel at the NHL level--on-ice vision, hands, and speed. Hoffman grew up a lot in his first full pro season with Binghamton, and will be counted on to take his game to the next level after he stepped up his play during the Baby Sens' 2011 AHL playoff run with nine points in 19 games, with many of the points coming in important situations.
Hoffman possesses elite offensive skills with a fantastic NHL-caliber shot. He's also extremely quick on his skates with speed to burn. He turned a lot of heads with his performance during Ottawa's rookie tournament in September, but he'll need to put on about 15-20 pounds of muscle in order to handle the more physically demanding NHL. Hoffman should start in the AHL in 2010-11 and will likely need at least a full year or two with Binghamton before he becomes a fulltime NHLer. He has tremendous potential, but needs a top-6 role to reach it.
Will likely begin the 2010-11 season with Ottawa's AHL affiliate in Binghamton.