Mike Hoffman is nothing like a master of the defensive game, he doesn’t often have his nose in traffic, but when he finds himself in the right frame of mind, he can blacken a score sheet.
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Scratched from the lineup on January 12 against the Predators at the Bell Center and two days later against the Islanders on Long Island, Hoffman has put his season back on track with nine points (2 goals, 7 assists) in his last eleven games since that purgatory.
Hoffman has found his niche on the wing alongside Kirby Dach and Evgenii Dadonov. On paper this trio did not look promising, but Dach found a way to animate his two enigmatic wingers.
“With injuries to some players, I get more responsibility,” Hoffman said. There is also a great complicity within our trio. When you move from one trio to another, it becomes more difficult to bond. We rely on stability. »
Martin St-Louis also insisted on the notion of stability to describe the awakening of number 68.
“I would say it’s similar to Dadonov. At the start of the season, we had several forwards. He didn’t have the chair he would like to have. We find ourselves in a situation where there is more stability for him. He plays with the same players in his line and he gets his place on the power play. He feels good during games. He gives us good hockey. »
Like Christmas
With just over two weeks to go before the trade deadline, Hoffman isn’t an overly nervous player.
“I always want to do my best, I have to play well, but above all I have to help my team,” he said. Some people get nervous as the trade deadline approaches, but when you get more experience, you know it’s just another date of the year. You know for a season when you get close to Christmas and it’s the same with the deadline (March 3). »
With a salary of 4.5 million on the salary cap for another season (2023-2024), Hoffman will not be the most attractive winger on the trade market.