Ironic that Mike Hoffman and Erik Karlsson are part of the same transaction

Do you know what’s more ironic than Mike Hoffman saying he wants to be a leader in San Jose? Not much, given that he could very well have been a leader in Montreal under similar conditions.

What is more ironic is that he was traded for Erik Karlsson.

For those unfamiliar with the story, the Karlsson family had accused the Hoffman family (mainly Mike Hoffman’s better half) of harassment on the Internet. Both players were wearing Senators uniforms at the time.

When the guys left Ottawa a few months apart (partly because of this story), they went years without speaking to each other. It’s safe to say that, as of today, they have no plans to reconcile.

Uber Eats should choose other guys for the rest of the announcement between Patrick Roy and Mario Tremblay.

Anyway. All that to say, when I heard that the CH was the third club to facilitate the Erik Karlsson deal in Pittsburgh, and when I saw that Mike Hoffman was also leaving for the Penguins, I had to wonder.

Canadiens acquire Jeff Petry, Casey DeSmith, Nathan Légaré and the Penguins’ 2025 second-round pick in exchange for Mike Hoffman and Rem Pitlick.#GoHabsGohttps://t.co/EpJkEjipfG

– Montreal Canadiens (@CanadiensMTL) August 6, 2023

After all, it was quite unexpected.

That said, within seconds, it became clear that Mike Hoffman would ultimately have to stop in San Jose and that Pittsburgh was only a necessary stop, on paper, to make the deal work.

It made more sense that way.

Because in reality, the Penguins traded Mike Hoffman (and more) to San Jose for Erik Karlsson (and more) shortly after the CH deal. The two guys were never members of the Penguins at the same time.

TRADE ALERT 🚨#SJSharks have acquired Mikael Granlund, Mike Hoffman, Jan Rutta, and a 2024 Draft selection from Pittsburgh, in exchange for Erik Karlsson, Dillon Hamaliuk, and our 2026 third-round selection.

– San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) August 6, 2023

We agree that if the Penguins had wanted to add an unnecessary contract and destroy the team chemistry the club is building, getting Mike Hoffman would have been the right thing to do.

But Kyle Dubas obviously didn’t. I don’t think any NHL GM would have done it, to be quite honest.

In gusts

– Unbelievable.

And while Kevin Brown should be back soon, the damage is done. https://t.co/GV1HKtqlfQ

– Passion MLB (@passion_mlb) August 8, 2023

– MLS is growing.

Wow… the @MLS is going to another level! 4DP and cap increase next year!

But it would seriously take a salary floor, otherwise…

… well, you know. https://t.co/O5BiUnVODM

– Jeremy Filosa 🎙 (@JeremyFilosa) August 8, 2023

– Good question.

What are your expectations for recent Canadiens acquisition Nathan Légaré? 🤔

Text by@abissonnette_👇https://t.co/VEZ4tb24J1

– RDS (@RDSca) August 8, 2023

– Should Jeff Petry apologize to CH fans? [BPM Sports]

– Can’t wait to see.