Completed NHL Transaction: Mike Hoffman's Value Finally Revealed

Indeed, he mentioned that he wanted to trade one or two forwards before the start of the next season to free up some cap space, but also to make room for the young prospects trying to break into the lineup.

Of course, the name that most often comes up among the Habs is that of veteran Mike Hoffman. Joel Armia and Christian Dvorak could also be possible options as these two players no longer really have a place in Martin St. Louis' lineup.

Moreover, a trade completed between the New York Islanders and the Chicago Blackhawks gave a very big clue about Hoffman's value, or rather the price to pay to get rid of his heavy $4.5 million contract.

Indeed, the Islanders sent forward Josh Bailey, who will earn an annual salary of $5 million next season, along with a second-round pick to the Blackhawks in return for future considerations.

We can therefore expect that Kent Hughes will have to pay a similar price if he wishes to liquidate Mike Hoffman's contract in the coming weeks. The logical choice would simply be to wait for his contract to end. However, the forward will likely occupy a spot in the team's top 9, which could certainly reduce the playing time of a player on the rise.

Knowing that he will take the spot of a youngster in the lineup, should the Habs pay a second-round pick to send Mike Hoffman elsewhere? One thing is certain, if Kent Hughes makes such a transaction, it would send a powerful message about the culture he wants to build with his team.

Credit: Habs et LNH