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The NHL Redux: Mike Hoffman, a case for the born sniper

Christian Petersen / Getty Images Sport / Getty

He is living, breathing, goal-scoring proof that NHL draft selections are often made with neglect to numbers that scream off the page. 

Mike Hoffman scored 92 goals in 124 games as a draft eligible prospect with Drummondville of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. In 2008-09, his return season after being passed over as an 18-year-old, he totaled 128 points to help the Voltigeurs capture a QMJHL championship and a berth into the Memorial Cup.

His staggering 73 goals that season represented a greater total output than No. 1-overall draft selection John Tavares. Yet Hoffman was selected 129 positions behind the current New York Islanders captain, 130th overall to the Ottawa Senators

This season, his first full campaign, the 25-year-old led all rookies into the All-Star break with 16 goals, which earned him the right to represent his class and the Senators at the All Star Skills Competition in Columbus.

There, he went ahead and coolly scored the goal of the night: 

We could go on sorting, listing and categorizing players selected ahead of him with the benefit of hindsight, but a simple scan of the first ten picks will suffice. Save for Tavares, Hoffman has outscored each player chosen in the 2009 lottery positions this season, which includes the likes of Matt Duchene, Evander Kane, Brayden Schenn and Nazem Kadri. 

So why is it that Hoffman was overlooked?

"There are a lot of players who are very gifted offensively, so if you're going to play in this league and be a regular, you have to learn how to play without the puck," Hoffman told theScore from Columbus. 

"The defensive side of the game is something I really had to learn in junior, and in the (American Hockey League) if I was going to make the jump to the NHL level."

He's an admitted work in progress - which was evident Thursday when a turnover freed up John Klingberg to score an eventual game-winner for the Dallas Stars. But while Hoffman lacks polish, there are signs that suggest the Senators have derived a well-rounded contributor from a prospect beset with only one dimension. 

Since making the jump, Hoffman has displayed peerless efficiency. His 16 goals have been attained despite receiving less ice than 40 fellow first-year players and his plus-17 rating he took into the All-Star break ranked him ninth league-wide.

"Everyone comes into the league at different points in their life, whether it's 18 years old out of junior or some that come in older than me. (You) have to stay confident and patient with your game. It's a lot of hard work - not an easy league to make."

Hoffman's rise begs the question: Why do most NHL teams prefer to roll the dice on potential (say, Zack Kassian 13th-overall in 2009), rather than teach elite singular talents the ancillary skills required to play the 200-foot game?

"The vast majority of mistakes in the NHL are made on size," a former league executive told theScore. "Teams will overestimate the bigger player and underestimate the smaller player. So a smaller, more prolific player may get overlooked for a bigger, more mature player.

"It's been going on for decades and will continue to go on for decades."

The Los Angeles Kings - the league's prototype - effectively stocked their shelf of prospects by selecting and molding elite-level junior scorers into NHL regulars. 

After selecting Tyler Toffoli with the 47th-overall pick in 2010, the Kings used the final selection of the first round in 2012 on the OHL's third-leading scorer, Tanner Pearson, who had been passed over in the two drafts prior.

Together, the Kings boasted two of the OHL's top three scorers and would slot the two loaded guns at the flank of all-world pivot Jeff Carter. It came together better than your average sitcom. 

With the Senators, Hoffman has a superstar of his own to accent. And his emergence this season seems to coincide directly with his promotion into a top-six capacity alongside Bobby Ryan.

"I try to use my speed to help compliment his game and give him time and space with the puck because when it's on his stick, he's going to make a good play."

The game has changed. With elite players continuing to push teams to the cap limit, life in the post-lockout era means general managers cannot afford a single misstep and must use innovative means to supplement team scoring. 

It's a skill that can't be taught, but goal-scoring can translate. And in grasping this concept, the focus should be on developing and recycling young, pliable talent - because you simply cannot win any longer without cheap production. 

Unfortunately for the Senators, Hoffman is without a contract at season's end. He's in line for a promotion. 

The Next 48

Los Angeles Kings at Boston Bruins: Saturday, 7 p.m. ET

If a seed of doubt crept into the minds of the defending champions during the All Star break, that feeling has surely vanquished. 

The Kings enjoyed an inspiring start to the season's unofficial second half, finding third-period resolve against the rival Blackhawks in a playoff-like atmosphere. 

On Saturday, they will have an opportunity to make another statement against the surging Bruins, who made some noise of their own by tackling the Eastern Conference-leading Islanders in their first opportunity out of the break. 

It will be the second meeting of the season between two teams who have combined to compete in each of the last four Stanley Cup finals, with the Kings taking the first contest 2-0 on home ice.

Nashville Predators at Pittsburgh Penguins: Sunday, 2 p.m. ET

James Neal will return to Pittsburgh for the first time since his trade to Nashville, as the Penguins and Predators do battle for the second time this season in the only real meaningful sporting event Sunday. 

Patric Hornqvist, who came back to Pittsburgh in the Neal trade, was triumphant in his return to Nashville in the first meeting between these two clubs way back in late October. 

Neal, however, won't have time to shake too many hands as the Predators will travel across the country to play its second game of a back-to-back in Sunday's matinee. 

The Penguins won't be will rested either, having seen a feverish slate out of the All Star break themselves with four games scheduled in the first six nights. 

The Pylon

Oh, sweet Lou Lamoriello.

There's only one man to blame for Martin Brodeur, the greatest New Jersey Devil in the franchise's history, retiring with an obnoxious collection of St. Louis Blues logos surrounding him. 

Parting Shots

1) Word is that St. Louis already has a deal in place to bring in Jaromir Jagr on a one-day contract to have him retire as a Blue (not really).

2) Despite their struggle, the Kings matched their franchise record start on home ice this season, improving to 16-6-6 with their comeback win over the Blackhawks. 

3) Alex Ovechkin has 93 multi-goal games since entering the league in 2005. Jarome Iginla's 66 are the next best over that span. 

4) Speaking of the Caps, Barry Trotz's bunch are an astounding 21-1-4 when scoring first this season. His defensive scheme is working out just fine for Ovechkin and Co.

5) Kris Letang recorded five assists in a win over the Jets this week, joining Sidney Crosby and Anze Kopitar as the only players to score five points in a game this season. 

6) The Sabres must win, or at least play beyond regulation Friday versus the Canucks to avoid failing to earn a point in the entire month of January.

7) There were calls for Jonathan Bernier's head after he lost Oliver Ekman-Larsson clearance on net. The Maple Leafs have three goals in Bernier's last six starts. 

8) Those Leafs were also a top-ten team in terms of power play and penalty kill heading into the All-Star Break, while Nashville, tops in the Central, rank outside the top-20 in both categories. Because who needs special teams?

9) If the NHL All-Star Game is in Toronto in 2017, Phil Kessel is a captain - right? 

10) Patriots 23, Seahawks 17.

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