Adding Mike Hoffman on a PTO could be sneaky good for the Edmonton Oilers

Mike Hoffman may not be the first name that would bring Edmonton Oilers fans out of their seats once they hear the organization signed him to a PTO, but this move is much better than you may believe. 

It feels like I just had a similar article like this recently, and maybe that’s because I did. Last week, I wrote about why Travis Dermot could be a steal, and while I won’t say the same about Hoffman, there are a few reasons to be excited about this. 

For one, he’s someone who contributed well in previous stops, having once put up 70 points and 36 goals in 2018-19 with the Florida Panthers. Sure, it’s been a while since he’s logged lofty stats, but let’s not forget the situations Hoffman recently found himself in, playing for rebuilding franchises over the past three seasons. 

The previous two teams (three years) Hoffman played for have totaled 170 points, so he finally gets a chance to earn a spot on one of the league’s more relevant franchises. He hasn’t played for a decent team since 2020-21, and he ended the regular season with 17 goals and 36 points in 52 games, adjusted to 27 goals and 57 points over 82 outings. 

Adding Mike Hoffman could pay off for the Edmonton Oilers

No, Mike Hoffman probably isn’t the same player from that 2019-20 season, as he’ll be heading into his age-35 campaign. That said, should he find a spot on the team, I highly doubt he’ll finish with 57 points in 82 games, or 36 in 52, or whatever. 

But he wasn’t half-bad with the San Jose Sharks last year when he fired the puck at the net, scoring just 10 goals but converting 14.1 percent of his scoring opportunities. With a high-octane Edmonton Oilers team, Hoffman, again, should he make the squad, could be a 15-20-goal scorer in Alberta. 

Overall, I’m expecting solid play from Hoffman at this stage in his career if he can stick around, and he could even end up as a halfway decent depth scorer. He’s got 13 seasons and 745 games of NHL experience, and that experience would also give the Oilers another leader, even if he won’t wear a ‘C’ or an ‘A’ regardless of what happens. 

Now, the burning question is whether Hoffman can fight his way onto the team and fend off what should be a lot of competition for one of the league’s premier organizations.