To say the San Jose Sharks are outside of the playoff race would be a massive understatement. San Jose has simply had a horrific season this year. From their historically putrid start until now, this has been a rough one for San Jose. They are likely to be sellers at the NHL Trade Deadline. And forward Mike Hoffman represents an interesting trade candidate.
Hoffman joined the Sharks in the summer as part of the Erik Karlsson trade. So far, he has been fine, but not a world-beater by any means. The veteran forward has scored 18 points through 49 games entering play on Monday. He is not a top-six player, but Hoffman can definitely provide secondary scoring on a better team.
With that in mind, let's take a look at a few teams that could use his services. Here are three potential landing spots for Sharks forward Mike Hoffman ahead of the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline in March.
Predators could use scoring depth
The Nashville Predators are looking to return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but it certainly won't be easy. They are one of four teams who are in the best position to claim one of the two Western Conference wild card spots. Nashville is tied on points with the St. Louis Blues, who own the final wild card spot in the West.
One area the Predators could stand to improve is their secondary scoring. They possess an amazing top line consisting of Gustav Nyquist, Ryan O'Reilly, and Filip Forsberg. However, if those players don't show up, Nashville can easily fall behind and lose games.
Adding Mike Hoffman can give them a secondary option that could benefit from playing on a better team. Furthermore, the Predators have cap space, meaning the Sharks may not need to retain as much salary. All in all, this is a fit to keep an eye on.
Oilers could be an option
The Edmonton Oilers are zeroing in on NHL history. And that's impressive given where they were at the start of the 2023-24 season. Edmonton's incredible winning streak certainly could spark general manager Ken Holland to make a move ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline. And they could have an interest in the Sharks forward.
The Oilers added Connor Brown to their ranks in the summer. However, he has not lived up to the expectations the team had for him. Furthermore, veteran forward Evander Kane has struggled as of late. This gives Edmonton room to add a player to their middle-six.
Mike Hoffman could slot into Edmonton's middle-six and give it a spark. The main obstacle here is the Oilers' lack of salary cap space. That said, if Edmonton can make something work with the Sharks, this could be a smart move for Holland to make.
Panthers, Sharks could strike another deal
The Florida Panthers and San Jose Sharks are no strangers to making trades. In fact, they struck a deal over the summer. San Jose acquired forward Anthony Duclair as Florida sought to clear a bit of salary cap space. Perhaps we see these two teams link up once again at the NHL Trade Deadline.
The Panthers have no glaring holes as of now. Superstar Matthew Tkachuk has figured things out after a weird start to the season. And Florida has simply found themselves playing at a high level in most aspects of the game. That said, adding depth certainly can't hurt.
Hoffman actually played two seasons with the Panthers. And that time was successful, scoring 69 goals and 129 points in 151 games with Florida. Perhaps a return to Florida could allow Mike Hoffman to recapture some of that previous form down the stretch this season.
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