The Ottawa Senators traded winger Mike Hoffman on Tuesday
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The Senators sent Hoffman to the San Jose Sharks, who then dealt him to the Florida Panthers. All told, the two transactions involved four players and six draft picks.
The Sharks sent forward Mikkel Boedker, defensive prospect Julius Bergman and a 2020 sixth-round pick to the Senators for Hoffman, defensive prospect Cody Donaghey and a 2020 fifth-round pick. They then dealt Hoffman and a 2018 seventh-round pick to the Panthers for 2018 fourth- and fifth-round picks and a 2019 second-round pick in a move that clears significant cap space for San Jose to use in an offseason that includes potential free agent forwards John Tavares and Ilya Kovalchuk.
The Senators were eager to deal Hoffman amid a dispute with team captain Karlsson and his wife. Melinda Karlsson recently filed an order of protection against Hoffman’s fiancee alleging harassment and cyberbullying in the form of hundreds of derogatory online messages aimed at her and her husband, whose first child, a boy, was stillborn in March.
Ottawa general manager Pierre Dorion didn’t hide his reasoning for trading Hoffman.
”Today’s trade showcases our determination to strengthen the future of the team by improving chemistry, leadership and character in the locker room and on the ice,” Dorion said. ”We are confident it is a step in the right direction for the long-term success of this organization.”
The Senators may still trade Karlsson, who can be a free agent at the end of next season, but shipping Hoffman addressed an immediate problem. Dorion contacted the Panthers about Hoffman last week, but Panthers GM Dale Tallon said the players Ottawa was looking for didn’t make it a match.
The Panthers were still interested in Hoffman and made a deal with the Sharks for the speedy winger who can score at a reasonable price without having to trade from their NHL roster. Hoffman has surpassed 20 goals in each of the past four seasons since becoming a full-time NHL player.
”We felt that this would be a perfect fit for our team
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Tallon said he was confident Florida’s locker room would accept Hoffman and wasn’t worried about the situation in Ottawa being a problem.
”We did our homework and we discussed it with a lot of different people,” Tallon said. ”We feel that that’s in the past and the distractions. We’re very confident that he’ll be embraced by our team and by their wives and girlfriends. We have a strong culture down there now and I think talking with Mike and all the parties that it will work out to our benefit.”
The Sharks, who paid a bargain-basement price to acquire scoring winger Evander Kane at the trade deadline when Buffalo was eager to deal him, shed Boedker’s $4 million salary-cap hit over the next two seasons and cleared room to make some splashes this summer.
”We have witnessed some tremendous growth in our younger forwards over the past season and we feel that we have another group of players that are ready to challenge for additional ice time,” Sharks GM Doug Wilson said. ”These transactions have also allowed us to add to our pool of draft selections, as well as free up a substantial amount of cap space for internal and external player options in the coming months.”
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More NHL hockey: The Minnesota Timberwolves picked up another important win to keep pace in this relentless Western Conference race.
Their quest to end the franchise’s 14-year absence from the playoffs still isn’t finished.
Karl-Anthony Towns slammed his way to 24 points and grabbed 18 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who toughed out a 113-94 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night to move one step closer to the postseason.
”We had to play as if we had that kind of desperation in us,” said Towns, who had five dunks to help ignite the crowd.
They haven’t always displayed that attitude down the stretch
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”I’m not going to check my phone. I’m going to go eat,” Jimmy Butler said wryly, after scoring 15 points in 23 minutes, his second game back from the knee injury.
Jeff Teague added 24 points for the Timberwolves, who trailed by 10 points early before taking over against a depleted Grizzlies team that beat them 101-93 exactly two weeks ago in one of their worst losses of the season.
Teague missed six of his first eight shots, but he helped the Wolves pull away with a four-point play in the early portion of the third quarter. His lob found Andrew Wiggins for a soaring dunk about three minutes later. Gorgui Dieng sank his second 3-pointer of the night soon after for a 75-63 lead. Butler gave the Wolves a 98-83 lead midway through the fourth quarter with a hustle to finish a fast break with a layup.
The Wolves brought energy and crisp ball movement, but they clearly carried some pressure with them during an ugly start filled with turnovers and misfires. They made only four of their first 16 shots from the field, and boos circulated in the arena as Omari Johnson’s jumper put the Grizzles in front 24-14. Butler missed a short bank shot as he was fouled and bricked the first free throw, too, causing him to growl in disgust as he reached the bench early in the second quarter.
The Wolves, though
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”We were just playing soft. We tend to do that from time to time,” Butler said. ”Whenever we play hard, a lot of good things happen.”
GIBSON GOES OUT
The Wolves lost power forward Taj Gibson in the first quarter to a neck injury he suffered in the previous game and tried to play through. He left for the locker room without returning to the bench.
”It’s tough when you can’t even turn your neck from right to left when you look around,” Gibson said. ”Just try to get as much treatment as possible.”
STILL SWEATING
Ben McLemore had 18 points for the Grizzlies, who moved one loss closer to a prime lottery pick and fell to 6-34 on the road.
The Grizzlies, whose streak of seven straight postseason appearances was snapped long ago, were sapped by the summer departures of stalwarts Zach Randolph, Tony Allen and Vince Carter. Mike Conley, Tyreke Evans and Chandler Parsons have missed a combined 143 games. Even Marc Gasol, who bested Towns for 20 points and 10 rebounds in the last matchup, sat out to rest. The starting lineup for this game had only one holdover, Dillon Brooks
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The Grizzlies would match the franchise’s worst record (22-60) since the move to Memphis if they lose their final game.
”It’s disrespectful to say that guys are tanking and trying to lose, because those guys that are on the floor every night have something to prove,” interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff said, adding: ”Every single night they’re giving their best effort. So you’ve got to give the guys that are out there on the court more respect than I think people give them credit for.”
TIP-INS
Grizzlies: MarShon Brooks, who averaged nearly 24 points over his first five games with the team since joining last month fresh from the Chinese league, missed 12 of 16 shots against tough defense from Butler and finished with 14 points.
”Just going out there playing hard, making them work for everything,” Brooks said.
Timberwolves: Backup center Cole Aldrich, who has logged just 49 minutes all season, was honored before the game with the Flip Saunders Legacy Award for community service in honor of the team’s late executive and coach. Aldrich had an assist in the final minute.
UP NEXT
Grizzlies: Play at Oklahoma City on Wednesday to wrap up the franchise’s 23rd season, the 17th in Memphis.
Timberwolves: Take on Denver on Wednesday, after losing 100-96 on the road last week.
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