Hoffman trade grades: What are the Senators doing?

Tuesday morning in the NHL was an unusually busy one, as the start of the day saw not one but two trades made before anyone even had a chance to grab a bite of lunch.

Much-maligned forward Mike Hoffman was dealt coast to coast and back again, finally landing in Sunrise, Fla., with the Panthers. With the move, the San Jose Sharks positioned themselves nicely for further roster moves with added draft picks and salary-cap space. As for the Ottawa Senators, well, Mikkel Boedker was at least an eighth overall draft pick, right?

All jokes aside, the Sens are in serious trouble. And realistically, despite Senators general manager Pierre Dorion's hand being forced due to Hoffman's off-ice issues, Ottawa is in worse shape today to make a run at the playoffs than it was yesterday.

With that in mind, we break down the trades from each team's perspective and assign grades for each side involved in Tuesday's dealings.

Senators

Senators receive: W Mikkel Boedker, D Julius Bergman, sixth-round pick (2020).

The only reason the Sens don't get a failing grade is because, as stated, Dorion's hands were tied. Simply put, he had to move Hoffman, even though the forward's value is at an all-time low. Although, Sharks GM Doug Wilson was able to get a better return for Hoffman than the Sens did which makes Dorion look incredibly bad. Wilson schooled him.

Dorion ended up making the deal with the Sharks rather than the Panthers because he wanted players in return, not draft picks. A rebuilding team should prioritize draft picks over mediocre middle-aged players, but since the Senators don't have a first-round pick next year, there is incentive to be competitive next year.

With that being said, however, Boedker's impact on where the Sens finish in the standings next year will be minimal. What Dorion should've done was taken the best possible return for Hoffman - regardless of what it is or who it's from - and then he could've turned that into a better player than Boedker if he so desired. - Wegman

Grade: D

Panthers

Panthers receive: LW Mike Hoffman, seventh-round pick (2018).

Off-ice issues aside, Florida lands the most talented player involved in Tuesday's wheeling and dealings with Hoffman, so Tallon should get some love for bringing in a pure sniper with the ability to rack up 25-plus-goal campaigns. Don't forget, he adds a top-six piece to an already stacked group - that includes the likes of Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau, and Vincent Trocheck - without losing any players off his roster.

Sure, a second-, fourth-, and fifth-round pick looks like a lot to give up on paper, but Hoffman is ready to contribute to the Panthers now and will be a valuable offensive piece for a Florida team looking to crack the postseason for the first time since 2016.

Not to mention, Hoffman's contract comes at a pretty cheap $5.1 million over the next two seasons, so it's not exactly like Tallon is getting worked over to add some pop into his lineup.

If the Panthers can do a good job of managing the mess that has seemingly developed in Hoffman's private life over the last season, the team is getting a potentially dangerous winger with a bullet of a shot. That is most definitely a very big if, so only time will tell if Hoffman can be a fit in Florida's locker room.

But for now, we have to give Tallon his props. Florida's top-six forward group just got even nastier. -- Livingstone

Grade: B

Sharks

Sharks receive: Second-round pick (2019 - from Florida), fourth-round pick (2018 - Vegas via Florida), fifth-round pick (2018 - from Florida), and fifth-round pick (2020 - from Ottawa).

If there were a weekly NHL general manager's power rankings, San Jose GM Doug Wilson would surely be catapulting to the top of the list after Tuesday's roster wizardry.

Wilson turned serviceable AHL rearguard and fringe prospect Julius Bergman and a sixth-rounder into four draft picks. He also got out from under the heinous $4 million for the next two seasons he would have owed to the perennially underachieving Boedker, who's managed only 25 goals over the past 155 regular-season games for the Sharks.

Obviously, adding two fifth-rounders and a fourth doesn't exactly translate into NHL-ready talent, and realistically the likelihood of picks that late having an impact on the Sharks in the near future is slim. But the Sharks are still the clear winners of the day, as the team is now in excellent position to make a serious run at signing one of either Ilya Kovalchuk or John Tavares. -Livingstone

Grade: A-