The Montreal Canadiens signed Mike Hoffman to a three-year contract ahead of the 2021-22 season. Hoffman gambled on himself, joining the St. Louis Blues on a one-year deal the year before, during the 2020-21 season.
Things did not quite work out as well as they had in years past. He posted career lows compared to his time in Florida. The Blues have a more defensive-minded scheme, which was detrimental to Hoffman’s style. Things did not go much better with the Montreal Canadiens in 2021-22.
After signing a three-year, $13.5 million contract, he joined the Habs forward core. His first season saw more of the same; reduced offensive output from his prime with a defensive-oriented role. There was too much reliance on his defensive zone performance when he needs that chance to be an offensive asset.
Hoffman was paired with Brendan Gallagher a majority of the time, who needs a resurgence of his own. He also saw Christian Dvorak and Josh Anderson joining him on a line for the majority of his ice time. There were times when he was with Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki, which should be more his speed.
Reason #1: The Montreal Canadiens misused Mike Hoffman in 2021-22.
Hoffman’s 2021-22 season saw him play in 67 games, producing 15 goals and 20 assists for 35 total points. He’s a benefit on the power-play and should be kept there for sure. However, Hoffman spent a lot of time being deployed in the defensive zone, which is not exactly something that benefits his offensive style.
Taking a deeper look into Hoffman’s metrics, his defensive zone starts (dZS%) was nearly 40%, sitting at 39.4%, which was higher than it was with the Blues and higher than it ever was during his time in Florida and Ottawa (excluding 2012-13 where he played three games).
This implies that Hoffman spent more time getting put onto the ice while in the defensive zone. While his Corsi For was 9.8% above the rest of the team, things could have been much better. Deploying him in the offensive zone, letting him use his offensive skillset to his advantage, would only help the Canadiens’ offense.
However, that’s just one of the reasons Hoffman’s offense has not been up to par. A more offensive role would help him flourish and get things back on track.