Daily Roundup: Patrik Laine trade could be ‘mutually beneficial’, Mike Hoffman on a short-term deal and more
Welcome to Daily Faceoff’s daily NHL roundup where we bring you the NHL’s most important news and rumours every day.
A Patrik Laine trade could be ‘mutually beneficial’
It appears that Patrik Laine feels that a trade from the Winnipeg Jets could be ‘mutually beneficial’ for both him and the organization.
While TSN’s Pierre LeBrun noted a clear denial of rumours that Laine may not report to camp and that the player has not asked for a trade. But with that being said, LeBrun threw in a bit of a curveball.
“His agents have also made clear that … given that Laine knows his name has been in trade discussion and … his usage in the lineup in the last couple years has been a constant topic of conversation, the fact that he doesn’t get consistent first line minutes, his agents … do confirm that it probably would be mutually beneficial to both the player and to the team if Patrick Laine is traded.”
If Laine were to ever hit the trade market, he would be an incredibly hot commodity as snipers like him rarely hit the market. Over his four year NHL career, Laine has scored 138 goals and 247 points in 305 games. Laine has scored, or been on pace to score, over 30 goals in each season.
Will Mike Hoffman sign a short-term contract?
Hearing Mike Hoffman is considering a one-year deal for his next NHL home. If he does that, there’s a good chance that he and Taylor Hall head to market next summer as the leaders in goals per game for all free agents 31 and under. Déjà vu all over again.
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) October 16, 2020
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported Thursday night that high-scoring winger Mike Hoffman may be willing to go the way of Taylor Hall and sign a one-year contract. Hoffman is still without a home for next season and is arguably the best available free agent on the market.
Over his 493 game NHL career, he’s scored 172 goals and 349 points with the Ottawa Senators and Florida Panthers.
Cap restraints are clearly part of the issue here, but in the same breath, there are a plethora of teams that could afford his services for $6-million a year or more including some teams, like the Boston Bruins and Columbus Blue Jackets, who reportedly took swings at Hall on the market.
Be careful at your beer league games…
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a warning that beer league hockey games have the right conditions for a “superspreader event” of COVID-19.
With beer league games picking up across North America as fall arrives, the CDC noted one rec game played in Tampa Bay, Fla. in June. Fourteen players and one arena staff member became ill within five days of the game, and 13 of 15 tests positive for COVID-19.
“The indoor space and close contact between players during a hockey game increase infection risk for players and create potential for a superspreader event, especially with ongoing community COVID-19 transmission,” the CDC wrote in the report. as quoted by CTV News.
“The ice rink provides a venue that is likely well suited to COVID-19 transmission as an indoor environment where deep breathing occurs, and persons are in close proximity to one another.”
On Twitter: @zjlaing