There is speculation of a trade between the Montreal Canadiens and Arizona Coyotes involving Mike Hoffman this summer

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MarcO
March 9, 2023 (10:17)

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Since his arrival with the Habs, Mike Hoffman has had more lows than highs.

Even if his numbers are not that bad, we must say that his performances have not been up to the contract that Marc Bergevin offered him in the summer of 2021.

We remember that the forward had agreed on the terms of a three-year deal for an annual salary of $4.5 million.

Let's just say that his contract may very well have cooled off some NHL teams that wanted to add depth to their lineup for the playoffs. But with only one year left on his contract at the end of the season, one team could very well acquire him, and that is the Arizona Coyotes.

Hoffman with the Arizona Coyotes?

Yep, again the same team that has a reputation for going after big contracts in order to hit the salary floor, but it would seem that this is not the case when it comes to the Habs forward.

At least that's the opinion of Louis Robitaille, the head coach of the Gatineau Olympiques, when he appeared on La Poche Bleue at lunchtime last Monday.

"I wouldn't be surprised if Hoffman ends up in Arizona. Maybe they'll find a way to make room for him. The plan may not be that crazy, but when are they going to turn the corner? They have some good young players and they will have to figure out how to mentor them the right way. At some point, you want to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but it might be a long time coming."

That's what could be interesting for, not only Hoffman, but also the Coyotes, who aren't that far away from being a competitive team, if Maxim Lapierre's words are any indication.

"This is a destination where people want to go. We laugh at the Coyotes a lot, but it's a nice place to be. I don't agree with everything that's going on, but I still wouldn't be surprised if one day this is a market that's interesting in the NHL. Imagine if Connor Bedard ended up in Arizona. Auston Matthews might want to go play with Connor Bedard back home."

Okay, so we're still a long way from that scenario, but a change of scenery could be beneficial for the Habs' #68 and he'd likely have a bigger role in Arizona than in Montreal.

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