Confirmed with Link: Hoffman Signs: 1 Year at $4M

[Mike Liut]

why...because they're similar size and left-handed shots? otherwise, Schwartz is a much harder worker and more well-rounded player.

Schwartz is definitely the better all around player. It must be the skating and being lefthanded. Something about watching his videos reminded me of Schwartz. Schwartz is one of my favorite Blues players. I love his game. So underrated. We better extend him..... and Parayko.

 

[GoldenSeal]

I think Sanford would be the best fit with Sunny and Barbie on that 4th line in terms of style.

This is brilliant.

 

[Mike Liut]

I think Sanford would be the best fit with Sunny and Barbie on that 4th line in terms of style.

Sanford has too much offensive ability to be on the 4th line.

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

Sanford has too much offensive ability to be on the 4th line.

Suppose the roster looks like:
Perron-ROR-Schenn
Schwartz-Thomas-Hoffman
Kyrou-Bozak-Tarasenko

who do you put on the 4th line?

Maybe you use Schenn at center and bump Bozak? I don’t really think that accomplishes a lot of good. I also think Sundqvist is too good to put on the 4th line too, but that’s the nature of the Blues’ 4th line of the roster is healthy. It’s a bear.

 

[Mike Liut]

Suppose the roster looks like:
Perron-ROR-Schenn
Schwartz-Thomas-Hoffman
Kyrou-Bozak-Tarasenko

who do you put on the 4th line?

Maybe you use Schenn at center and bump Bozak? I don’t really think that accomplishes a lot of good. I also think Sundqvist is too good to put on the 4th line too, but that’s the nature of the Blues’ 4th line of the roster is healthy. It’s a bear.

Sorry, didn’t realize we were talking about Tarasenko being back in. My bad.

 

[Stlblue50]

Sorry, didn’t realize we were talking about Tarasenko being back in. My bad.

If fully healthy that forward group is insane!

With Tank out I like our 3rd line a lot. Kyrou-Bozak-Sanford(Sunny or Blais) as rotation options looks good.

 

[tfriede2]

If fully healthy that forward group is insane!

With Tank out I like our 3rd line a lot. Kyrou-Bozak-Sanford(Sunny or Blais) as rotation options looks good.

what’s crazy is that Bozak is at almost the exact same age as Steen when the Blues started using Steen on the 4th line...it’s not crazy to think they’d do that with Bozak at some point this season.

Fully healthy:

Schwartz-Thomas-Hoffman
Sanford-ROR-Perron
Kyrou-Schenn-Tarasenko
Barbashev-Bozak-Sundqvist

The problem there is I’m not sure Kyrou has ever played LW...Perron has though, so Tarasenko can slide to Perron’s spot, Perron to Sanford’s, Sanford to Kyrou’s, and Kyrou to Tarasenko’s.

 

[Stlblue50]

what’s crazy is that Bozak is at almost the exact same age as Steen when the Blues started using Steen on the 4th line...it’s not crazy to think they’d do that with Bozak at some point this season.

Fully healthy:

Schwartz-Thomas-Hoffman
Sanford-ROR-Perron
Kyrou-Schenn-Tarasenko
Barbashev-Bozak-Sundqvist

The problem there is I’m not sure Kyrou has ever played LW...Perron has though, so Tarasenko can slide to Perron’s spot, Perron to Sanford’s, Sanford to Kyrou’s, and Kyrou to Tarasenko’s.

So many options or line possibilities! I think a lot of it will depend on (besides health) who Hoffman and hopefully Kyrou finds chemistry with. It would be hard to split up ROR/DP57 come playoff time but the Schwartz/Schenn combo will have to show they still have it to stay together.

 

[Ginger Papa]

Hi folks,

What a great number to sign Hoffman at! I know you kinda got screwed on the travel part in your division, but at least you have a few ‘weaker’ opponents to hopefully balance that out.

So great to read the positive energy in this Thread

Best of luck this Season.

 

[AjaxManifesto]

St. Louis Blues Mike Hoffman Must Be Better, But So Must Fans

 

[Xanadude]

Hoff hasn't lit the world on fire yet, but he's still getting acclimated, our PP is garbage anyway and is collecting 3rd line minutes. I thought 68-18-21 was looking better in the third last night, so he may be building up to a breakout.

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

I still think Hoffman-Thomas will be the right call. But Thomas hasn’t had a good start (looked better last night) and Hoffman is obviously still getting acclimated. I don’t think he deserves to be the latest whipping boy. (Why does there need to be one at all?)

 

[Bluesguru]

Sanford has too much offensive ability to be on the 4th line.

He hasn’t showed it. And he has no aggression for the 4th line. The ability is there, but the heart and brain isn’t.

 

[Davimir Tarablad]

I don’t think he deserves to be the latest whipping boy. (Why does there need to be one at all?)

 

[Brian39]

Put me in the camp that isn't concerned with Hoffman's start and think it is way too premature to believe we know what we have in him.

He is a shooter and shooters are streaky. He has been streaky throughout his career and he has never been a player who contributes much when he isn't scoring. Some streakiness from last year:

In games 1-4 (4 games) he scored 5 goals

In games 5-17 (13 games) he scored 1 goal.

In games 18-21 (4 games) he scored 3 goals

in games 22-41 (20 games) he scored 4 goals

In games 42-45 (4 games) he scored 5 goals

In games 46-50 (5 games) he scored 0 goals

In games 51-54 (4 games) he scored 3 goals

In games 55-60 (6 games) he scored 1 goal

Then he caught fire and scored 7 goals in his last 9 games to finish the year with 29 goals in 69 games.

It's a pretty clear pattern. He goes on 1-2 week bursts where he is basically a goal-per-game scorer and then these stretches are followed by 1-4 week stretches where he can't score. This isn't a critique on him as a scorer. Most top-end shooters go through the same thing.

I think anyone expecting him to look great off the puck had unrealistic expectations. This is the Mike Hoffman he has always been in stretches where he isn't finding the back of the net. His 3 assists in 8 games is a 30 assist pace, which is right about normal for him. He has finished with 30-35 assists in each of his last 5 seasons. He is producing at his normal level on plays where the puck is on his stick and he doesn't shoot. I am fairly confident that he hasn't completely forgotten how to score goals and will have some 4-8 game stretches where scores almost every game and includes a multi-goal night for good measure. This is what you get out of 25-35 goal players that aren't making $7M+ on multi-year deals. The guys who can shoot like Hoffman AND consistently contribute positively when they aren't scoring either don't ever get to free agency or they are given $50M+. That's why Tarasenko got $60M from us. That is why Schenn required 2 good assets to acquire and was given a $52M extension before he could hit the market.

I'd like to see him learn the system better, get more engaged defensively and find some chemistry. Maybe that comes and maybe it doesn't. But none of those things are the reason he was signed. He is successful in the NHL because he is one of the best 10-20 shooters in the league. For years, he has been consistently dangerous from just about any area on the ice and he has a good one-timer. A playoff team like us acquires a shooter like Hoffman because they believe the roster is good enough around him to still have a good record when he is invisible (and then hopefully you can go 14-3-3 in those 4 hot streaks that total 20 games). Obviously you hope that your coach/team can improve the rest of his game, but that isn't the reason you bring him in.

I think it is substantially more likely that he will have some of these hot streaks than it is that he will just be a 6-7% shooter all year for us. If he has forgotten how to shoot than he won't be in the lineup much after the 40 game mark. If he has a few of his hot streaks then you keep him on the 3rd line and rely on Berube to recognize when he is humming and slide him up (and onto the top PP unit) accordingly. The 8 game mark is hilariously too early to make a decision either way.

 

[Ranksu]

Eye test doesnt lie. Guy isn't fit in this team. He is played with our most tallented offensive/playmaker center cant produce. What is worrisome he has cut down Thomas game too.

Hoffman has played on right side I one timer spot in previous teams at powerplay. It could bad timing when set-up, but if you are shooter. It shouldn't be problematic to mesh in IF you are pro hockey player, some PP trainings should done the job. It's not like Blues are playing odd powerplay system.

So where is fault. Maybe he isnt trying enough or isnt good enough? 30 scorer and become bad. Hopefully it's just bad timing at PP.

Or is it bad PP coach?

 

[BlueKnight]

Eye test doesnt lie. Guy isn't fit in this team. He is played with our most tallented offensive/playmaker center cant produce. What is worrisome he has cut down Thomas game too.

Hoffman has played on right side I one timer spot in previous teams at powerplay. It could bad timing when set-up, but if you are shooter. It shouldn't be problematic to mesh in IF you are pro hockey player, some PP trainings should done the job. It's not like Blues are playing odd powerplay system.

So where is fault. Maybe he isnt trying enough or isnt good enough? 30 scorer and become bad. Hopefully it's just bad timing at PP.

Or is it bad PP coach?

Yeah I agree. It's been 8 games and I would usually say wait until at least 15 games but right now I don't think I will. From the eye test I just don't see him putting it together, He's a no show out there, Maybe I shouldn't say that but he is definitely floating. Hoffman just isn't a fit for the Blues.

 

[ezcreepin]

Eye test doesnt lie. Guy isn't fit in this team. He is played with our most tallented offensive/playmaker center cant produce. What is worrisome he has cut down Thomas game too.

Hoffman has played on right side I one timer spot in previous teams at powerplay. It could bad timing when set-up, but if you are shooter. It shouldn't be problematic to mesh in IF you are pro hockey player, some PP trainings should done the job. It's not like Blues are playing odd powerplay system.

So where is fault. Maybe he isnt trying enough or isnt good enough? 30 scorer and become bad. Hopefully it's just bad timing at PP.

Or is it bad PP coach?

It's almost surely learning the system and him being comfortable. Let's not forget we were ready to ship off Faulk last year and now are singing his praises. Some players just need time

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

Yeah I agree. It's been 8 games and I would usually say wait until at least 15 games but right now I don't think I will. From the eye test I just don't see him putting it together, He's a no show out there, Maybe I shouldn't say that but he is definitely floating. Hoffman just isn't a fit for the Blues.

In what way is he not a fit? Is there something specific you’re referring to, or is this just a figure of speech?

 

[DoubleK81]

In what way is he not a fit? Is there something specific you’re referring to, or is this just a figure of speech?

Its just those two specific posters complaining. Like they do about everything.

 

[542365]

43% of his total points in his two years in Florida came on the PP, where he averaged over 3:30 per game. At even strength(getting about 11 minutes per night) he put up 73 points in 151 games, about a 40 point pace over an 82 game season. In St. Louis he's getting just 1:51 of PP time per game and just over 12 minutes of even strength time. He has 3 even strength points in 8 games, roughly a 30 point pace, but with such a small sample size, just one more even strength point in these 8 games puts him exactly in line with his Florida even strength numbers. At even strength he's producing about as expected. He's a guy who feasts on the powerplay with that one-timer and he's not getting the PP opportunity that he was getting in Florida. Our PP is currently ranked 20th in the league at just 14.8%, so I would imagine we'll start trying new things to get it going, and Hoffman is a proven PP commodity, so I wouldn't be shocked if he gets another opportunity on that top unit. Krug as a lefty at the top of the umbrella makes it easy for him to feed the lefty Hoffman similar to how Yandle has fed him in years past, and Hoffman has shown that he scores in that situation pretty frequently. He has not looked good at all at even strength, but that's not really what he's ever been great at. If he's going to produce and be worth his 4M, it's going to be on the PP. I don't know if he deserves that spot considering his even strength play, but we have to try something different, and he's been one of the better power play scorers in the league over the past couple seasons, so it's probably worth a shot.

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

It’s surprising to realize there are 11 PPs worse than the Blues’ so far.

 

[Ranksu]

It's almost surely learning the system and him being comfortable. Let's not forget we were ready to ship off Faulk last year and now are singing his praises. Some players just need time

You really happy how he plays? Worth of 6.5mill $. Wowwawiiwa

Sidenote, Hoffman doesnt have full camp + 82 games + playoffs + another off-season + training camp to get his shit decent level.

 

[Xerloris]

Yeah I agree. It's been 8 games and I would usually say wait until at least 15 games but right now I don't think I will. From the eye test I just don't see him putting it together, He's a no show out there, Maybe I shouldn't say that but he is definitely floating. Hoffman just isn't a fit for the Blues.

So you just expect a guy to join a new team and play a new system he's never played before which includes complete buy-in to defense and do all of this with no preseason games and hit the ice running? Ok that explains a lot about you.

It's almost surely learning the system and him being comfortable. Let's not forget we were ready to ship off Faulk last year and now are singing his praises. Some players just need time

Only a few.

In what way is he not a fit? Is there something specific you’re referring to, or is this just a figure of speech?

He complains about everything.

Its just those two specific posters complaining. Like they do about everything.

You really happy how he plays? Worth of 6.5mill $. Wowwawiiwa

Sidenote, Hoffman doesnt have full camp + 82 games + playoffs + another off-season + training camp to get his shit decent level.

I am happy with Faulks play and he's going to be a perfectly capable replacement to you know who.

Hoffman will be fine.

 

[KirkOut]

I mean Ranksu is right, he does look awful. When you factor in that 2 of his 4 points were accidents that had nothing to do with any positive thing done by Hoffman (his first goal and his “assist” last night), he’s been especially bad. He looks like he doesn’t give 2 shits about the game. Floatiest of floaters