Has Former Ottawa Senator Mike Hoffman Played His Last NHL Game?

It wasn't that long ago Mike Hoffman was putting up big numbers in the NHL and making great plays with his elite speed, shot, and puck skill. For example, who will ever forget the Ottawa Senators' 2017 playoff run and the goal Hoffman scored on a crazy pass from Erik Karlsson?

Everything about that play was impressive: the pass, the reception, and the flawless Forsberg finish.

Hoffman had 61 points in that season. Two years later with the Florida Panthers, he ramped it up to 36 goals and 70 points, putting him among the game's top 50 scorers that year.

Interestingly, as an aside, Hoffman was tied in points with Evgenii Dadonov. That would also be Dadonov's final season as an upper-end scorer in the league (much to Pierre Dorion's chagrin).

Despite being only 34 years old and just five years removed from that 70-point season, Hoffman has yet to secure a professional tryout for this season, let alone a standard NHL contract.

Hoffman has had great numbers – at least as far as his accountant is concerned.

Hoffman's strength has always been his offence, particularly on the power play, and his numbers used to be good enough to overlook his defensive shortcomings. But not anymore. And if there's no longer much offence or power play production to talk about, then there's not much else for a team to invest in.

The best example of his commitment to defence (or lack thereof) came near the end of a disastrous 2017-18 season. No Senator fan will forget his horrifying lack of effort on a Connor McDavid goal. Things haven't improved much since then.

Near the end of last season, Hoffman also had health issues. In what was probably his final game against his old team, he suffered the first concussion of his career after turning his back on an incoming hit from Brady Tkachuk.

Hoffman missed three weeks after that hit, returned for five games, then missed the last four games of the season with an undisclosed injury. San Jose, the worst team in the NHL, then let him walk into free agency.

Hoffman had a fine NHL run and stands 20th all-time in Senators scoring. He earned an estimated $43.5 million in his career and helped create some great memories for Senator fans.

But even if a PTO comes along this month, there's a good chance Hoffman's NHL days are over.

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