Fansided

Mike Hoffman signs four-year deal with Ottawa Senators

By Dave Stevenson

Dec 5, 2015; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Ottawa Senators left wing Mike Hoffman (68) reacts after scoring to tie the game against the New York Islanders in the last minute of the third period at the Canadian Tire Centre. The Senators defeated the Islanders 3-2 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 5, 2015; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Ottawa Senators left wing Mike Hoffman (68) reacts after scoring to tie the game against the New York Islanders in the last minute of the third period at the Canadian Tire Centre. The Senators defeated the Islanders 3-2 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mike Hoffman has reportedly agreed to a four-year deal with the Ottawa Senators to avoid arbitration.

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One of the biggest priorities this offseason for the Ottawa Senators was to find out the future of Mike Hoffman, whether that be in Ottawa or somewhere else. Set to go to arbitration, the two sides have reportedly agreed to a four-year deal according to Elliotte Friedman. He will have a cap hit of $5.1875 million per season. The team has confirmed the signing.

The reason that the Senators traded Mika Zibanejad was to ensure that they would have enough money in their budget to keep Hoffman. So good on them for keeping him. Hoffman should flourish now that Guy Boucher is the Senators’ head coach. Boucher was Hoffman’s coach in juniors and Hoffman was a dangerous and dynamic weapon under him.

$5.1875 million is a lot of money, but Hoffman is worth it. Goal scoring is hard to come by in the NHL these days. Hoffman has 56 goals and 113 points over the past two seasons, which is pretty impressive. It’s even more impressive when you look at his goal scoring rates. Hoffman ranks sixth in even strength goals per 60 minutes over the past two seasons with 1.17. That’s better than Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, and Filip Forsberg. He also ranks in the top 10 in even strength points per 60 minutes.

Keeping Hoffman was a must for the Senators. He’s one of their very few elite players. They got him at a very reasonable price, so kudos to them. Hoffman should prove to be a great bargain, especially if he continues to produce like he has since 2014.

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