Two quick Sunday thoughts on a couple of younger players in Ottawa.
On Mike Hoffman: I was pretty excited to see him pick up a pair of points -- including his first NHL goal -- on Saturday against Winnipeg. Generally, I find it easy to cheer for guys who seem do be doing so many good things, but aren't being rewarded in the point column. The jury's still out on Hoffman as an NHL'er, but there's a definitive argument in support of him at this level: you can't teach that kind of speed, and if he can harness it, he can carve out a little niche for himself in Ottawa.
Of course, he's not really working with a lot of margin for error these days. Ottawa has a surplus of mid-tier forward prospects, even with the waived Cory Conacher now sitting in Buffalo. Hoffman needs to finish the year strong, regardless of whether or not the team makes the playoffs. He's RFA at the end of the season, and it's likely that the final twenty games will have an impact on whether the team keeps him around this off-season.
On Patrick Wiercioch: well, the other side of the coin, I guess. It's frustrating because I think Patrick Wiercioch -- who admittedly struggled early to start the year -- has been just fine on the blue-line. Low bars are cleared easily and all of that, but I really haven't had much of an objection with his game. I don't know if we are seeing those springy, tape-to-tape breakout passes as much as we would like, but he's certainly cleaned up his act in the defensive zone, and it's a bit irritating to see him constantly in the press box. Especially with the way the rest of the defense beyond Erik Karlsson has performed.
I don't know what the team's plans are for Wiercioch, though he is under contract through 2016. Paul MacLean seems to adore a balance of left and right-handed shots, and a combination of things -- including Chris Phillips' extension -- have him on the outside looking in.
It's kind of wild to suggest this because I'm not sure he has a ton of value right now, but I wonder if Ottawa swings some sort of trade in the off-season involving him. I like his game, but I just don't know if he's in their plans long-term. And for whatever reason, his leash is much shorter than Jared Cowen's.
Back with more tomorrow.
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