Confirmed with Link: Habs sign Mike Hoffman (3 years, 4.5M AAV)

[JianYang]

True. I suspect his hand was not fully healed. He had a temporary drop in goal production when he was first injured to the end. He will rebound. In the regular season, Gallagher has been a very consistent goal producer.

There's no suspecting it, he definitely wasn't ready. He just happened to come back in game 1 of the playoffs. If it was the regular season, he would continued to sit, and let the injury heal.

By the end of the playoffs, he had picked up more knocks, but he was never healthy to start.

It was kind of a frustrating season for him because I seem to remember that he started slow, but he was playing well just before he got hurt.

 

[BaseballCoach]

He didn't really, this past playoffs. Have to hope he's not done. He's played some tough hockey and he's still signed a long time.

Gallagher was playing hurt, we all knew that. That being said, he won't score 30 if Caufield, Toffoli, Suzuki, Anderson and Hoffman are also scoring 25-35. It'll be fine though. We will be a tough team to play against with balanced scoring.

 

[solidaritypucks]

bergevin is in love with the bad boys

 

[BergevinsOnlyFan]

So, last season Hoffman signed a 1-year, 4M "prove it" type of contract.

Couldn't prove it, but now signing a longer term, 4.5M contract.

We took an older, less versatile, less productive version of Toffoli and gave him more money than Toffoli, in a flat cap year.

Makes no sense.

If he keeps up his 25 goal pace from last year we can hardly complain

 

[Habs Halifax]

If he keeps up his 25 goal pace from last year we can hardly complain

Depends on how many key turnovers he has in our own zone. Hockey is more than just offense. It's valuable but guys like Domi and Tatar are prime examples.

I have a hard time finding a center I trust for Hoffman to be honest. KK or Evans? Hoffman's value is on the PP

 

[Revansky]

I wonder if any team inquired about trading for Drouin. Anyways, I thought Marc Bergevin did a superlative job signing all these free agents at or below market value. Bergey has turned out to be one of the best GMs out there. It was no wonder he was a runnerup to the 2021 GM of the Year Sweet Lou Lamarello.

I guess a couples teams called but ask for a sweetener to take him/take a bad contract back. I don't think he has positive value anymore.

 

[Skip Bayless]

I like this signing, but our C line behind Suzuki is weak.

 

[Adam Michaels]

I like this signing, but our C line behind Suzuki is weak.

Yup. I'm really happy with Hoffman and the deal.

But they do need to strengthen the center line.

 

[tazsub3]

Seeing what saad got, so happy with got hoff at this contract

 

[26Mats]

Seeing what saad got, so happy with got hoff at this contract

Saad is 4 years younger though. I like Hoffman's skill set more. But Saad is closer to his prime.

But there's risk with both. Saad has had some really bad seasons offensively. Hoffman is aging and so he also could as well.

But I've wanted Hoffman for a while and was never that high on Saad. I really hope Hoffman can still be a dynamic offensive player. Would be great for Suzuki, Caufield, KK, Toffoli, Gallagher, and Drouin to get to play with such a player.

 

[26Mats]

Yup. I'm really happy with Hoffman and the deal.

But they do need to strengthen the center line.

Krejci! Krejci! Krejci!
(on a short term deal)

 

[Weber Fan]

Very interesting comments from an ex teammate!

Le «mystère Hoffman» décortiqué par un ex-coéquipier - TVA Sports

 

[holy]

I like this signing, but our C line behind Suzuki is weak.

We’re one Danault away from having one better than Vegas. Remember that.

 

[Captain97]

As of now, I would try:

Drouin Suzuki Caufield

Hoffman KK Anderson

Toffoli Evans Gallagher

Lehkonen Poehling/Paquette Armia

Chairot Petry

Edmundston Romanov

Norlinder/Wideman Savard

PP1:

Caufield Suzuki Hoffman

Drouin Petry

PP2:

Toffoli KK Gallagher

Evans Norlinder/Wideman

I think Hoffman will play with Gallagher as it divides the skillets in a better way based on how they score their goals imo.

Drouin - Suzuki - Caufield
Hoffman - KK - Gallagher
Toffoli - 3C TBA- Anderson
Byron - Evans - Armia
Paquette, Perreault

Lehkonen is part of the Package for the C imo.

The idea is if Drouin is good to go that first line is insanely skilled and could do some damage.

Second line Hoffman shoots from funny areas/angles causing a decent amount of rebounds KK and Gally love rebounds.

3rd line, defensively solid 3C and Toffoli get the puck to a flying Anderson for breakaways. Call him Big Byron.

4th line, defensively solid and is really a 3rd line.

 

[Langdon Alger]

Sometimes you’ll love him. Other times not so much. He doesn’t have much interest in backchecking, but he will help your powerplay.

 

[MilesNewton]

Did Hoffman and Wideman play together on the PP when they were in Ottawa?

 

[MilesNewton]

Very interesting comments from an ex teammate!

Le «mystère Hoffman» décortiqué par un ex-coéquipier - TVA Sports

Never really connected with the group in st Louis never seemed to fit in, hopefully he does better with the Habs.

 

[26Mats]

I think Hoffman will play with Gallagher as it divides the skillets in a better way based on how they score their goals imo.

Drouin - Suzuki - Caufield
Hoffman - KK - Gallagher
Toffoli - 3C TBA- Anderson
Byron - Evans - Armia
Paquette, Perreault

Lehkonen is part of the Package for the C imo.

The idea is if Drouin is good to go that first line is insanely skilled and could do some damage.

Second line Hoffman shoots from funny areas/angles causing a decent amount of rebounds KK and Gally love rebounds.

3rd line, defensively solid 3C and Toffoli get the puck to a flying Anderson for breakaways. Call him Big Byron.

4th line, defensively solid and is really a 3rd line.

I have no idea what MB is thinking in constructing roles for this roster - I hope he's not just signing (and not re-signing) guys based on if he thinks they are valuable contracts individually.

It's said Hoffman is bad defensively. So, given we'll want at least one other line that's good defensively, aside from the 4th line, Gallagher may still be the wigner on such a line, and thus won't play with Hoffman. But then again I had Drouin with Gallagher.

Interesting that 4 of our best 6 wingers are not known to be good defensively: Caufield, Anderson, Hoffman, and Drouin. Only Gally and Toffoli are.

But there's probably a trade coming anyways...

 

[Miller Time]

Really lends itself well to a
Hoff - JKO -Gallagher line...

Gallagher & jko providing more than enough defensive zone commitment to allow Hoff to be Hoff...

 

[Belial]

It's going to be interesting to see those PP units...

Suzuki likes to play in that spot where Hoffman is lethal so I guess they won't be on the same wave...

And Hoffman needs a guy with a great shot that can pass the puck crease cross on the other side of the ice.

Or a D able to fake a shot and then send it to him for a one-timer, ehhh where's Markov when you need him...

I guess Romanov will have to step up.

 

[TkachukMyAho]

Watched this guy play in Ottawa for multiple years. I don't buy the whole locker room cancer thing, but I did grow up in Kitchener and saw plenty of him on and off the ice and can confirm he's...different.

Loved him as a player. This guy will get you up off your seat, and has one of the filthiest shots I've ever seen. Specializes in the "ding" off the crossbar and in.

He's kind of like the moneyball version of hockey players. He continues to produce, but doesn't get any love for whatever reason. This is an undervalued player, likely in the 6.5M range. Enjoy.

 

[salbutera]

I have no idea what MB is thinking in constructing roles for this roster - I hope he's not just signing (and not re-signing) guys based on if he thinks they are valuable contracts individually.

It's said Hoffman is bad defensively. So, given we'll want at least one other line that's good defensively, aside from the 4th line, Gallagher may still be the wigner on such a line, and thus won't play with Hoffman. But then again I had Drouin with Gallagher.

Interesting that 4 of our best 6 wingers are not known to be good defensively: Caufield, Anderson, Hoffman, and Drouin. Only Gally and Toffoli are.

But there's probably a trade coming anyways...

IMO, Last season MB tried to build a team for the big boy hockey North division was projected to be, thus sacrificing some speed for size.

Looks to me, MBs tweaking the roster for the more speed / skill & less physical Atlantic division expectation. The fact he voluntarily offered up at PC he’s looking for a PMD combined w L’affaire DeAngelo last deadline is quite telling..

At the end of the day, there’s only so much team building that UFA lends itself to...which to say is not a whole lot. There has to be a trade or two coming..

 

[salbutera]

Saad is 4 years younger though. I like Hoffman's skill set more. But Saad is closer to his prime.

But there's risk with both. Saad has had some really bad seasons offensively. Hoffman is aging and so he also could as well.

But I've wanted Hoffman for a while and was never that high on Saad. I really hope Hoffman can still be a dynamic offensive player. Would be great for Suzuki, Caufield, KK, Toffoli, Gallagher, and Drouin to get to play with such a player.

Hoffman is a low commitment of term + no trade restrictions at any point of his contracts duration.

Saad’s longer term and trade restrictions make it a much more onerous contract

 

[Captain97]

Unfortunately for the first time in 20-yrs Habs don’t have a legit 20TOI+ #1 Dman for the regular season

Actually Petry is insanely underrated by even us, look at his points and TOI the past couple years. Certainly a #1 dman. The problem is we don't have a 2.

 

[salbutera]

Actually Petry is insanely underrated by even us, look at his points and TOI the past couple years. Certainly a #1 dman. The problem is we don't have a 2.

Petry can’t sustain that level of TOI w consistently over an entire season - Markov, Subban and Weber were able to