Marc Methot Done For The Year, Mike Hoffman: Leading Scorer?

The Marc Methot situation took another strange turn when Marc returned to the lineup, all to be shut down and put on the IR again. The injury is one that goes all the way back to last April and has certainly begun to affect a new contract.

Methot entered the season and training camp expecting to play. His injury was re-aggravated in the early goings of training camp where he was forced to sit out all of the pre-season and camp. It was past the 25 game mark when Methot and team doctors deemed it was time to step on the ice.

The 2 games Methot has played in this season were against the penguins and the islanders, two eastern conference powerhouses. Ottawa lost both games, where Methot recorded an assist and was even on the +/-

Now, Methot is injured again. He’s out with what could be a season ending injury as there is still no timetable for a return.

Mar 3, 2013; Uniondale, NY, USA; Ottawa Senators defenseman Marc Methot (3) before the start of an NHL game against the New York Islanders at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

In any situation, a year of sitting out of gameplay is never good; what worsens it for Methot is the idea of a new contract in the off-season.

More from SenShot

• Crunch. Crush. Grind. Mash. The Tyler Kleven Story
• Belleville Senators: What To Expect In 2023-24
• Daniel Alfredsson and Marian Hossa Hit The Ice One Final Time
• Ottawa Senators: Something’s Got to Give
• Hot Pierre Summer 2.0? Let’s Talk About The Ottawa Senators Offseason So Far!

Methot’s back injury is a tricky one, look at Nathan Horton in Columbus, who may never play hockey again.

When it comes to contract talks, the Senators and Methot were looking at a multi year deal somewhere in the neighbourhood of 5,000,000.

The Senators weren’t off much on the dollar figure, but an injury as serious as this has to have the Senators worried. Maybe the Senators look at bringing Methot back on a shorter deal, then again it’s no question that talent on D gets rewarded in the NHL. Look at Nikita Nikitin, Andrew Ference, and Mark Fayne in Edmonton.

"If Methot were to hit the open market, teams would come calling and with Multi-year deals in place."

The Methot situation puts Ottawa in an odd spot. They don’t want to overspend or misspend, but know that if he hits the open market Multi-year offers would be out there.

Mike Hoffman: 

Coming into the season, there were many questions surrounding Mike Hoffman.

His speed and skill were never questioned, but for whatever reason he hadn’t found a way to score at the NHL level. Until now. This is a player who a year prior didn’t make the Senators and put up MVP-like numbers in the AHL.

Hoffman got a sniff of the NHL late last season as injuries allowed a call-up to take place. Hoffman was flashy and showed the bursts of speed we are used to, but didn’t put up the numbers. At 24, and with only 6 points in 29 NHL games; “waivers” was a term often associated with Hoffman.

This season, Hoffman has been one of Ottawa’s best forwards. He leads the team in scoring and is currently on pace for 27 goals, a mark that only Milan Michalek has accomplished amongst current Senators in a Sens uniform.

Hoffman is an undersized NHL forward, yet controls the ice like no other on the team (well, maybe Erik Karlsson does). As the teams leading goal scorer, expectations have now been raised.