On the Ottawa Senators …
Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Senators: Pending RFA Mike Hoffman hopes to remain Ottawa. If Hoffman and the Senators can’t work out a deal, he’s a strong candidate to be traded.
He’s coming off a season making $2 million. He could look at Gustav Nyquist’s four-year, $19 million contract. If they go to arbitration, he could get $3.5 to $4 million and be a free agent after next season. To this point, contract extension talks have been minimal.
“Both sides wanted to wait until after the season and go from there,” Hoffman said Monday. “No updates right now.
“There’s no rush really. Anybody in my position would like to see something sooner rather than later but we’ll have to wait and see.”
Bruce Garrioch: Hoffman would prefer to do a long-term deal, but hasn’t had any talks with the Senators.
Brent Wallace: Hoffman won’t be going to the World Championships as he doesn’t have a contract – an insurance issue. He said that he wasn’t asked.
Josh Gold-Smith of theScore: Senators owner Eugene Melnyk on Sportsnet when asked if he thinks anyone on their roster is untradeable, he said “No.” He’ll leave the decisions up to their new general manager though. When asked about Erik Karlsson.
“I’m not going to say anything other than … first of all, I don’t make those decisions. I let the coaches and the GMs make those decisions. They come to me when it’s a big name, they come to me for everything in the end, but … if they came in and had a deal on the table … I can’t keep them accountable if I don’t let them take a shot.
“If they’re wrong and wrong and wrong, then things change, but it’s their team to coach and to manage, so if I stick my nose into it, who do I blame at the end but myself? (I’ll) let them do their job. That’s what they’re paid (to do) and that’s what they know how to do much better than I ever will.”
They hope to have a new head coach named by the draft.
Ian Mendes: Darren Dreger mentioned some coaching candidates for the Senators on TSN last night: Claude Julien (if available), Guy Boucher, Mike Yeo, Kevin Dineen, Marc Crawford, Bruce Boudreau (if available) and Ken Hitchcock (if available).