Blues officially ink Mike Hoffman to one-year deal

The St. Louis Blues made it official on Monday.

The team announced that they have signed veteran forward Mike Hoffman to a one-year, $4 million contract. The news comes shortly after he agreed to a professional tryout with the club back on December 27th.

The 31-year old, who has nine seasons of NHL experience under his belt, had spent the past two campaigns with the Florida Panthers and put up solid numbers in that span. In 2019/2020, Hoffman recorded 29 goals and 30 assists in 69 games. The previous season he posted a career-best 36 goals in 82 games.

With that offensive firepower, it was really surprising that it took a team as long as it did to sign the veteran forward. He essentially replaces Vladimir Tarasenko in the Blues’ lineup, who will be out for an indefinite period of time as he recovers from shoulder surgery.