Rumor: Hoffman waiting for 2 teams to clear cap space.

I have to admit that I am somewhat surprised to see that veteran National Hockey League forward Mike Hoffman remains a free agent this late into the month of October, especially given the sheer number of teams that seemingly were in need of an upgrade when it comes to goal scoring.

Hoffman, despite some obvious defensive liabilities, has consistently shown throughout his career that he is a prolific goal scorer and his most recent performance, a 29 goal and 30 assist performance for the Florida Panthers that worked out to 59 points in just 69 games, was arguably the very best of his career at 30 years old. So why is it then that Hoffman remains unsigned? 

There's no doubt that the financial struggles imposed on the league's teams as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic are playing a big factor, I suspect he would have been signed in the first few days of free agency otherwise. Teams have tightened their wallets and rumors suggest that Hoffman isn't getting anywhere near the 6+ million per season he was looking for on a new deal, but there may be even more than that at play here. 

A recent report from NHL insider Pierre LeBrun has hinted at the fact that Hoffman may be waiting for his prefered teams to clear the necessary cap space before they can make him an offer. So who might those teams be? While LeBrun did not come out and explicitly suggest that any team was on that list, he did go out of his way to suggest that two perennial contenders are likely to be on there with those teams being the St. Louis Blues and the Boston Bruins. 

Both the Blues and the Bruins are currently dealing with significant injuries to some of their core players and that could prove to be a path for Hoffman to join either squad. The Blues have star forward Vladimir Tarasenko that is expected to start the season on the sidelines, while the Bruins have Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand each dealing with injuries of their own. Placing these players on long-term injured reserve would allow either team to sign Hoffman, and sign him to a lucrative deal no less, but it does leave long-term questions about how they would get under the cap when those players return. 

Can you see Hoffman in a Bruins or Blues jersey come next season?