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Montreal Canadiens: Mike Hoffman And The Sharks Never-Ending Rebuild

By Scott Cowan

Mar 7, 2023; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; A young fan tries to get the attention of Montreal Canadiens forward Mike Hoffman (68) during the warmup period before the game against the Carolina Hurricanes at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 7, 2023; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; A young fan tries to get the attention of Montreal Canadiens forward Mike Hoffman (68) during the warmup period before the game against the Carolina Hurricanes at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports /
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26 Apr 1995: Rightwinger Pat Falloon of the San Jose Sharks moves down the ice during a game against the Anaheim Mighty Ducks at Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California. The Sharks won the game, 5-2.
26 Apr 1995: Rightwinger Pat Falloon of the San Jose Sharks moves down the ice during a game against the Anaheim Mighty Ducks at Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California. The Sharks won the game, 5-2. /

Sharks Start Is Historically Awful

Yes, all of NHL history, going back as far as the days of the 1990’s expansion where the Sharks were first introduced as a team, or even the expansion Washington Capitals in 1974-75, who hold the NHL record for fewest wins in a season (8).

In 1992-93, just the second year of their existence, the Sharks went 11-71-2, with an offense comprised of veteran Rangers star Kelly Kisio and not much else. Since then, the Sharks have gone from a gritty, veteran heavy squad led by guys like Vincent Damphousse in the early 2000s, to a genuine Cup contender with Brent Burns and Joe Thornton running the show in the mid to late 2010s, to well… now, and again, words cannot describe how unbelievably daft and devoid of skill this Sharks team is.

This article was one I had put on the backburner for a while as I waited to see how San Jose’s season progressed after a, to put it ever so kindly, not ideal start.

Surely, I thought they would have a win by this point, or at least a game where they looked like a professional hockey team capable of competing with other similarly professional hockey organizations. Instead, they’ve been outscored 20-3 in their last two games. Yes, you heard that right, 20-3.

A 10-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday, and a 10-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday. Back-to-back games allowing 10 goals. Overall, the Sharks have been outscored 51-11 this season, and there is not one player on the roster that has more than three goals and seven points.

They’re 0-10-1 to start the season, and I don’t know if there is a team in the NHL they can actually beat without playing a perfect, and I mean, perfect game. I think there are some AHL teams currently better than this Sharks squad, and the thought of that alone is just pathetic.

Obviously, no one was expecting the Sharks to be anything close to world-beaters this season after trading away one of their last tangible trade assets/star players in defenseman Erik Karlsson.

At one point, the Sharks had a few more assets, like defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic and, to an extent, Hoffman, but now, there’s as much value in them as there is in Blockbuster, and both have similarly fallen off the map in terms of their production.

Video rental jokes aside, Vlasic has been one of the NHL’s worst players through the beginning of 2023-24, and similarly has the worst contract in the league. $7 million AAV, for the next three years, with a three-team no trade clause. While the trade clause might seem decent at the very least, Vlasic makes $7 million regardless of whether he plays in the AHL or the NHL, and so far, he’s looked like every other veteran AHL defenseman who can’t keep up in the NHL.

At the very least, Hoffman’s contract expires after this season, and quite frankly an NHL GM would have to be drunk to give him an opportunity after his performance to start this year.

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