Mike Hoffman's history with Boucher a 'bonus' in contract talks
Mike Hoffman has scored 56 times for the Ottawa Senators over the past two seasons and recorded 107 points. Heading into next season he might be the happiest player to see Guy Boucher take over the head coaching job.
Despite being one of Ottawa’s top even strength scorers since 2014-15, via War on Ice, Hoffman’s name surfaced as a potential player headed out of town this summer as restricted free agency approaches. Surely he’s earned a raise from his $2 million salary this season, and with the Senators in transition, he’s a piece you want to keep in your top six.
But it wasn’t looking that way under Dave Cameron, who had Hoffman paying rent in his doghouse over parts of the last two seasons thanks to some defensive lapses and down possession numbers. So when Cameron was canned and Boucher was brought in, there was hope for a future in Ottawa for the 26-year-old forward.
Speaking with Don Brennan of the Ottawa Sun, Hoffman spoke glowingly about the new head coach.
“He’s tough. He doesn’t take any s - -t,” he said. “You’ve got to be working hard every practice, every game, otherwise you’re going to hear it. It makes you responsible, and that’s what makes you better and that’s what makes the team better.
“He’s excellent at figuring out players, whether to push them or just leave them alone. He’s very good at controlling his team. I think part of that comes from the psychology background and all that stuff he has his degrees in, which is extremely important in sports.”
Hoffman has history with his new head coach. Boucher was behind the bench in Drummonville when they won a QMJHL championship together. That season Hoffman posted 52 goals and a month later the Senators drafted him 130th overall.
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At his introductory press conference, Boucher spoke about the challenges he faced coaching Hoffman when he first got to Drummondville. But what impressed him the most was how much better the forward got during his time there.
“We were a contending team and he was certainly a big part of it, but what I liked about Mike is he responded," Boucher said. "He really responded to everything that I tried with him and so that’s why I’m really looking forward to working with him again.
"He’s one of the players, I think, on this team that is a game-breaker. So game-breakers, you don’t have a lot of those guys on any team, but certainly when you have asset like that, you want to cherish it, you want to work with them and accompany them on their road to more success and improving and evolving.”
Talks haven’t begun between Hoffman’s camp and new Senators general manager Pierre Dorion. Earlier this season Hoffman was sounding open to a three-year deal, but hesitant on anything longer depending on the dollars. A longer-term deal would buy up UFA years, which is something that would up his price.
“There’s still a lot of time here, so there’s not really any rush,” Hoffman told the Sun. “Obviously I want to play in Ottawa, that’s my first priority. Having him as a coach is obviously a bonus. We’ll just have to wait and see how everything plays out.”
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Sean Leahy is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Sean_Leahy
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