Mike Hoffman hasn’t had the start to his St. Louis Blues tenure that he would have liked. After a successful start to his career in Ottawa (with a very dramatic and non-hockey related reason for departure), Hoffman continued showing that he has a nose for the net with the Florida Panthers.
Hoffman signed a $4 million contract with the Blues during the offseaon, and since then he’s hung out on the 3rd line and scored a pedestrian 8 goals and 12 assists in 33 games.
It could have been 34 games on Sunday, but coach Craig Berube decided Hoffman would sit instead.
First thought when this was tweeted: Upper or Lower Body Injury? As it turns out, injuries had nothing to do with it.
Next thought: Could this be a trade in the works?
These are just a few of the plethora of trade theories to emerge from his healthy scratch announcement. As it turns out, Coach Berube just simply wasn’t happy with Hoffman. This likely means it didn’t have to do with a trade at all.
The Blues next play on Friday, April 2nd, so we will be tuned in to see if Hoffman is in the lineup or sitting out once again.
Unless he actually is traded, of course…
(H/T Jeremy Rutherford)
