Hoffman traded to Panthers by Sharks after being acquired from Senators

Mike Hoffman was traded to the Florida Panthers by the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday, about two hours after being acquired by the Sharks in a trade with the Ottawa Senators.
Hoffman went to the Panthers along with a seventh-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, with the Sharks receiving a fourth-round and a fifth-round pick in 2018 and a second-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft.

"I didn't really know what to expect and where I was going to go," Hoffman told the Ottawa Sun from his vacation in Italy. "I'm really excited and looking forward to joining the Florida Panthers.
"I've always thought they had a really good team and they've been pretty close with young talent. I'm really excited to join them and help them to make that next step."
RELATED: [2018-19 NHL Trade Tracker | Fantasy impact of Hoffman trade on Panthers\]
San Jose acquired Hoffman from Ottawa, along with defenseman prospect Cody Donaghey and a fifth-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, for forward Mikkel Boedker, defenseman prospect Julius Bergman and a sixth-round pick in 2020.
Hoffman had 56 points (22 goals, 34 assists) for the Senators this season. Selected by Ottawa in the fifth round (No. 130) of the 2009 NHL Draft, the 28-year-old has 230 points (107 goals, 123 assists) in 342 NHL games in seven seasons with the Senators. He has two years remaining on a four-year, $20.75 million contract (average annual value $5.1875 million) he signed with the Senators on July 27, 2016.
"I've been expecting this, and there's been talk about being traded since the [NHL Trade] Deadline last year," Hoffman told the newspaper. "I figured it was just a matter of time, and this is the time."
Panthers general manager Dale Tallon said he spoke to the Senators last week regarding a trade for Hoffman but said the asking price was too high. Tallon said he was contacted by San Jose on Monday regarding a trade for Hoffman should they acquire him from Ottawa.
"We looked at the deal and we felt that this would be a perfect fit for our team," Tallon said. "He's 28, he can score, he can skate, he's got a cannon for a shot. He'll be a good fit for our team moving forward. We missed the playoffs by a point. I thought that we needed to add some offense and some speed and skill to our lineup, and this turns out to be the fit for us."
The Panthers (44-30-8) finished one point behind the New Jersey Devils for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference.

The trade of Hoffman from Ottawa comes a week after a report by the Ottawa Citizen claimed Melinda Karlsson, the wife of Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson, had filed an application for a peace bond against Hoffman's girlfriend, Monika Caryk, alleging harassment and cyberbullying that occurred this season and continued after the Karlssons' son, Axel, was stillborn.
Hoffman has denied the allegations.
"I'm just worried about the hockey part," he said. "Everything else will take care of itself. We have other people working on the stuff away from the rink. My focus now is getting geared up and getting ready for September and being ready for training camp."
Tallon said he is not concerned about any off-ice issues with Hoffman.
"We did our homework and we discussed it with a lot of different people," Tallon said. "We feel that that's in the past and the distractions. We have a strong culture down there now, and I think talking with Mike and all the parties that it will work out to our benefit.
"I talked to some of our players, yeah. I had no pushback at all. He played with [Jonathan] Huberdeau in Saint John (Quebec Major Junior Hockey League) and our staff, (senior adviser to president of hockey operations) Chris Pronger and (director of player personnel Bryan) McCabe are well-connected and know a lot of people that know him. We had multiple conversations in the last week. I trust my guys, I trust my staff, and here we are."

San Jose general manager Doug Wilson said the trades put the Sharks, who were eliminated in the Western Conference Second Round in six games by the Vegas Golden Knights, in position to improve through the draft and free agency.
"This series of trades has allowed us to accomplish several organizational goals," Wilson said. "We have witnessed some tremendous growth in our younger forwards over the past season and we feel that we have another group of players that are ready to challenge for additional ice time. These transactions have also allowed us to add to our pool of draft selections, as well as free up a substantial amount of [NHL salary] cap space for internal and external player options in the coming months."
Ottawa GM Pierre Dorion said the Senators, who were 30th in the NHL standings (28-43-11), will benefit from the trade now and in seasons to come.
"Today's trade showcases our determination to strengthen the future of the team by improving chemistry, leadership and character in the locker room and on the ice," Dorion said. "We are confident it is a step in the right direction for the long-term success of this organization.
"Mikkel Boedker is a competitive, versatile, two-way forward who can play both wings. He has a track record of playing his best hockey in the most important games, including the playoffs and internationally. His skill set, in particular his speed, along with his veteran leadership fits with our vision for the team."
Boedker had 37 points (15 goals, 22 assists) in 74 games with the Sharks this season. He was selected by the Phoenix Coyotes with the No. 8 pick in the 2008 NHL Draft. The 28-year-old has 288 points (109 goals, 179 assists) in 618 NHL games with the Coyotes, Colorado Avalanche and Sharks. He was traded to Colorado by Arizona for Alex Tanguay, Connor Bleackley and Kyle Wood on Feb. 29, 2016, and signed a four-year contract with the Sharks as a free agent July 1, 2016.