Oddly enough he was on a pretty extended cold streak up until then, and hadn't been much of a factor at all. The problem with Hoffman was that when he runs cold he stops being an asset on the ice, thus he was moved down the lineup and put in more sheltered positions. The problem there is that he ends up playing with lesser quality linemates, which hinders his scoring ability.
He scores in bunches, runs cold, and his play away from the puck leaves much to be desired. He can fix that last bit so that when he runs cold he's still an asset to the team, and his linemates, but he's not there yet.
He needs to show improvement as a player this upcoming year, AS WELL as being able to sustain his scoring, if he wants a long term pay day. He also needs to do this if he wants to stay in the top six permanently. Guys look for this type of commitment from each other, if he can't do it he won't be here long.
Spezza was given the gears every year for his defensive play and he's better defensively than Hoffman, and miles better offensively. Hoffman better see the writing on the wall here quick!
