Last week it became clear that Mike Hoffman would be traded away from the Ottawa Senators sometime in the near future and several deals came to fruition today.
Initially, Hoffman was traded to the Sharks for what was likely a disappointing package for Sens fans, but not entirely unexpected considering the baggage that had been attached to him as a trade asset. The real winners of the day seemed to be the San Jose Sharks who seemed to have a master plan that allowed them to not only gather some helpful assets but also clear space for another potential move.
After the Sharks flipped Hoffman to the Panthers, here’s how all the assets ended up working out:
To the Sens: Mikkel Boedker, Julius Bergman and the Sharks’ 6th-round pick in 2020.
To the Sharks: Cody Donaghey, the Senators’ 5th-round pick in 2020, Panthers’ 2nd-round pick in 2019, 4th-round pick in 2018 and a 5th-round pick in 2018.
To the Panthers: Mike Hoffman and the Sharks’ 7th-round pick in 2018.
A lot of the reaction on social media so far has suggested that the Sharks received a better deal for Hoffman, but there appears to be a reason that the Senators would have avoided dealing with the Panthers in the first place.
So, San Jose stepped in with what appears to have been no intention to keep Hoffman, acquired a bunch of picks and cleared Mikkel Boedker’s contract off of their squad. This was reportedly an effort to make room for some bigger moves.
With Erik Karlsson, John Tavares, Ilya Kovalchuk, John Carlson and several other big names seeming to be on the market, the Sharks might have some big plans in the next couple of weeks. Maybe we should update this graphic…
