Morning Skate: Bruins right to pass on Hoffman’s baggage

Here are all the links from around the hockey world, and what I’m reading while NHL Draft week is upon us.

*The Ottawa Senators couldn’t dump Mike Hoffman fast enough after last week’s drama with Erik Karlsson’s family, and they shipped him to the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday morning. The return was understandably underwhelming as Hoffman’s value was pretty much gone after the crazy story about alleged cyber-bullying by his girlfriend. Mikkel Boedker is an NHL player that will at least replace Hoffman’s roster spot, and San Jose included a decent D-man prospect in Bergman. But it’s nowhere close to what the Senators could have had for Hoffman if there wasn’t the significant baggage going along with him.

Some might have wondered if the Bruins should have gotten involved in discussions for a player clearly at the ebb of his trade value, but they were right to take a straight pass on a talented player in Hoffman that could be dressing room poison. It could be that this entire situation has some other explanation where Hoffman and his girlfriend aren’t as culpable as they’re being made out to be, but either way their rift clearly ripped apart Ottawa’s room at the end of last season. And it tormented the family of the Sens’ best player and leader.

Given that good chemistry is one of Boston’s clear strengths again after a few years in between, they don’t need a dark cloud hovering over them. They have good leadership in the room, but why add a potentially divisive influence like that simply because he might come cheap? The guy had 22 goals, 56 points and a minus-20 last season, so we're not talking Mike Bossy here.

Clearly San Jose has no such reservations having taken on Evander Kane and Hoffman in the last couple of seasons, so good luck to them.

*Looking at four potential landing spots for Barry Trotz after he resigned from his post with the Washington Capitals after winning a Cup.

*FOH (Friend of Haggs) Darren Dreger says that the Toronto Maple Leafs have put together a promotional video for prospective free agent John Tavares. It will be an interesting free agent sweepstakes to watch if the Isles end up losing him to the open market where many, many teams could use a star center like that.