Mike Hoffman Signed to Four-Year Extension

The Ottawa Senators sorted out arguably their biggest piece of summer business on Wednesday morning, inking Mike Hoffman to a four-year, $5.1875M-per-year extension. This avoided an arbitration hearing set for August 4th. The salary actually breaks down to $3.8M in the first year, and $5.65M in each of the following three years.

Hoffman had led the team in goals for two years in a row, surprising for a player who scored his first NHL goal at age 24. Among players with at least 1000 minutes over the last two seasons, Hoffman ranked seventh in goals-per-60 at 5v5 with 1.18 (via Corsica.Hockey). He was also exciting to watch, with a quick release and fast skating. At one point last season, he was on pace for 40 goals, though an injury to Kyle Turris slowed him down. Still, he managed 13 points in his final 13 games despite having a perceived slow down at the end of the year.

Many fans wondered why it took so long to sign Hoffman, a clear key component on the team moving forward. The team paraded out one-year, two-way extensions to Max McCormick, Buddy Robinson, Ryan Dzingel, and Matt Puempel. The price point is a little higher than many expected, but the term is also a little lower. The contract gives him a chance to maybe get one more NHL pay day if he can hold up his production until age 30.

Oh, and I was right about Hoffman not actually getting to arbitration, so I win at the internet.