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On Mike Hoffman
I know there is a lot of baggage and it's entirely possible – perhaps even likely – GM Brad Treliving didn't want any part of it. It'd be hard to blame him if that's the case.
But from a strictly on-ice perspective it had to be pretty tough seeing Hoffman traded for pennies (an overpaid 3rd line winger and then a 2019 2nd and a couple late lottery tickets) when the Flames are desperate for a player of his skillset.
Last season the Flames finished 27th in 5v5 goals, ahead of only Arizona, Vancouver, Montreal and Buffalo.
Hoffman is tied for 27th in 5v5 goals over the last four seasons and he has averaged 26 per year in all situations during that span. Suffice to say, he would have helped address the team's scoring woes in a big way.
On Zack Smith
Sticking with the theme of Ottawa wingers, Smith seems like a good bet to be traded in the coming weeks.
Like Hoffman, the Flames were linked to Smith at the trade deadline.
I wouldn't be surprised if the Flames still have interest in Smith. They've talked about adding toughness to the team. Smith would provide that while also giving them a little more scoring pop having averaged 17 goals per 82 games over the last three seasons.
In saying that, I think the Flames should stay away.
Smith's three-year scoring numbers are severely inflated by his 25-goal campaign in 2015-16 where he shot nearly 21%. His career average is 9.5% so it's fair to say he'll have a tough time ever coming close to that total again.
He's also pretty inefficient at 5v5. Over the last three years, he's averaged 1.25 points per 60 minutes played. Not great.
Last season, in particular, was a disaster. He averaged .92, which would have ranked him 14th among Flames forwards and behind even Curtis Lazar, Matt Stajan, and Troy Brouwer.
Even if you bet on him going back to his three-year average of 1.25, that would have slotted him 10th among Flames forwards last season. And, again, it's worth noting a lot of guys had down years and the team was completely inept at scoring 5v5 goals.
I think Smith is a guy whose perceived value is higher than his actual value. The Flames should be steering clear of players like that, especially given they're lacking futures to part with. It's imperative they get their money's worth in any deal.
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