Plenty of teams interested in Mike Hoffman and Erik Haula, but when will they sign
Anthony Scultore
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There are still many NHL free agents available and waiting for a new home. Two of them are Mike Hoffman and Erik Haula, each of whom have plenty of teams interested in them. So what’s the hold up?
The flat cap and restricted free agency are the biggest issues. With so many players still awaiting arbitration hearings, teams need to resolve those issues before they start spending again.
Mike Hoffman has many as six teams interested
Mike Hoffman is the top remaining UFA on the market. The former Senator and Panther has 30 goal ability and knows he’s worth a decent salary, even if it is for one year.
According to Frank Seravalli of TSN, “the teams that are most interested at this point are the Boston Bruins, the Columbus Blue Jackets and also the Nashville Predators.” He also named the Montreal Canadiens and the Vancouver Canucks if they can make some moves for cap space.
Erik Haula has a dozen team in on him
“We’re sorting through conversations that we’ve had with numerous teams,’’ Haula’s veteran agent Jay Grossman told Pierre Lebrun. “Really we’ve probably talked to 10-12 teams that have had legitimate interest. We’re just sorting through those options.’’
Sorting through those options could also mean wait to hear back from us what’s we settle our least arbitration case. For example, if the Rangers are unable to come to terms with RFA Ryan Strome. Should the award be too big, they could walk away and circle back with a Haula.