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Over the next week or so, I’ll be looking at six free agents who the Hurricanes could target this offseason. Recently, I’ve looked at the possibility of signing either Corey Crawford or Evgenii Dadonov and going alphabetically, today’s player profile will focus on Mike Hoffman.
The Hurricanes are in a pretty similar spot with Hoffman as they would be with Dadonov. Both are wingers on the Florida Panthers, born in the same year and will likely command a similar contract, potentially in the range of $7 million per year on a five-year deal. But let’s summarize:
As one of the top forwards on the market this year, Hoffman will certainly draw lots of interest. He has scored (or been on pace for) 35 goals and 70 points two seasons in a row, so there’s no doubt he’ll be due for a raise. However, many teams won’t have much cap space to work with, so if Hoffman wants to play for a competitive team, he may need to take a bit of a pay cut to do so.
Obviously though, the issue with Hoffman is the same with as Dadonov and that’s the fact that so long as the Hurricanes are lacking a starting goalie, adding a winger likely isn’t the priority. If Carolina was able to add Hoffman, it would be a massive boost for their top-six and power play but unfortunately, Carolina may have to spend their money on adding a starter instead.
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Here’s today’s poll question (results and discussion will be posted in a future article):
Reviewing last week's polls (September 7): Hurricanes Edition SHORT READ: Hurricanes announce affiliation deal with Chicago Wolves Hurricanes acquire draft pick from Canadiens for rights to Joel Edmundson SHORT READ: Hurricanes loan Dominik Bokk Offseason Plan (Part One): Examining Carolina’s cap situation Offseason Plan (Part Two): Who can be traded to clear cap space? Reviewing this week's polls (September 19): Hurricanes Edition Free Agency Options (Hurricanes Edition): Corey Crawford Free Agency Options (Hurricanes Edition): Evgenii Dadonov