It probably wasn’t the path taken by any unrestricted free agent, but it was 2020, so all bets were off in that weird low season.
When the UFA top scorer in the 2020 market had to wait almost three months at the free agency to land with a team, you know things are beautiful.
But let’s be clear. Market interest was always there. But sometime after missing the first wave in October, Mike Hoffman’s camp, led by Agent Rob Hooper, decided to follow the patient’s path and wait closer to the season to find out. Which I think was wise.
Depending on what Hoffman ends up signing as his real NHL contract with the Blues, his professional test (PTO) with St. Louis is just a bridge to get there, giving the team time to work on the long-term injury reserve (LTIR) opening night and probably turning the power take-off into a debatable point.
That is, the one-year deal he gets with the Blues (I guess it ranges from $ 4 to $ 4.25 …