It's uncertain who exactly was making these demands to general manager Pierre Dorion, but based on the team's organizational hierarchy, it becomes quite clear that it was owner Eugene Melnyk.
Many teams have a president above the general manager, but the Sens' staff directory doesn't list such position. And, after former CEO Tom Anselmi departed the team, Melnyk took over those duties.
Well, the instructions made to Dorion clearly backfired, as once Hoffman was dealt to the San Jose Sharks, he was then flipped back into the Atlantic Division to the Florida Panthers.
The Senators apparently wanted players in return for Hoffman, not draft picks, so it's unclear whether a deal between Ottawa and Florida would've worked out. Also, it remains unclear whether wanting players instead of picks was Melnyk's or Dorion's call.
Regardless, the Sens probably would've received a better return for Hoffman had they not ruled out a quarter of the league as a possible trade partner.
Furthermore, Kessel would even be willing to play for his former assistant coach Rick Tocchet, who is now the head coach of the Arizona Coyotes, per Yohe. Although, Kessel's $6.8-million price tag is likely too juicy for the Desert Dogs to take on.
Regardless, Kessel is coming off a career season in which he netted 34 goals and 58 assists for a career-high 92 points, so if he were to be made available, multiple teams would be lined up in an attempt to acquire his super-sniper services.
The rumblings about Kessel's potential departure come less than a month after a reported beef between he and head coach Mike Sullivan. Kessel was apparently furious about not playing regularly with Evgeni Malkin during Pittsburgh's 2018 playoff run.
Kessel played most of the postseason on the Penguins' third line, registering only one goal in 12 games. He is under contract in Pittsburgh for the next four seasons.
The contract reportedly comes with an average annual value of $1.9 million, according to TSN's Ryan Rishaug.
In two years with the Oilers, Benning has totaled 36 points in 135 games played. The 24-year-old managed a plus-5 rating, despite the team's poor season in 2017-18.
Tuesday morning in the NHL was an unusually busy one, as the start of the day saw not one but two trades made before anyone even had a chance to grab a bite of lunch.
Much-maligned forward Mike Hoffman was dealt coast to coast and back again, finally landing in Sunrise, Fla., with the Panthers. With the move, the San Jose Sharks positioned themselves nicely for further roster moves with added draft picks and salary-cap space. As for the Ottawa Senators, well, Mikkel Boedker was at least an eighth overall draft pick, right?
All jokes aside, the Sens are in serious trouble. And realistically, despite Senators general manager Pierre Dorion's hand being forced due to Hoffman's off-ice issues, Ottawa is in worse shape today to make a run at the playoffs than it was yesterday.
With that in mind, we break down the trades from each team's perspective and assign grades for each side involved in Tuesday's dealings.
Senators
Senators receive: W Mikkel Boedker, D Julius Bergman, sixth-round pick (2020).
The only reason the Sens don't get a failing grade is because, as stated, Dorion's hands were tied. Simply put, he had to move Hoffman, even though the forward's value is at an all-time low. Although, Sharks GM Doug Wilson was able to get a better return for Hoffman than the Sens did which makes Dorion look incredibly bad. Wilson schooled him.
Dorion ended up making the deal with the Sharks rather than the Panthers because he wanted players in return, not draft picks. A rebuilding team should prioritize draft picks over mediocre middle-aged players, but since the Senators don't have a first-round pick next year, there is incentive to be competitive next year.
With that being said, however, Boedker's impact on where the Sens finish in the standings next year will be minimal. What Dorion should've done was taken the best possible return for Hoffman - regardless of what it is or who it's from - and then he could've turned that into a better player than Boedker if he so desired. - Wegman
Grade: D
Panthers
Panthers receive: LW Mike Hoffman, seventh-round pick (2018).
Off-ice issues aside, Florida lands the most talented player involved in Tuesday's wheeling and dealings with Hoffman, so Tallon should get some love for bringing in a pure sniper with the ability to rack up 25-plus-goal campaigns. Don't forget, he adds a top-six piece to an already stacked group - that includes the likes of Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau, and Vincent Trocheck - without losing any players off his roster.
Sure, a second-, fourth-, and fifth-round pick looks like a lot to give up on paper, but Hoffman is ready to contribute to the Panthers now and will be a valuable offensive piece for a Florida team looking to crack the postseason for the first time since 2016.
Not to mention, Hoffman's contract comes at a pretty cheap $5.1 million over the next two seasons, so it's not exactly like Tallon is getting worked over to add some pop into his lineup.
If the Panthers can do a good job of managing the mess that has seemingly developed in Hoffman's private life over the last season, the team is getting a potentially dangerous winger with a bullet of a shot. That is most definitely a very big if, so only time will tell if Hoffman can be a fit in Florida's locker room.
But for now, we have to give Tallon his props. Florida's top-six forward group just got even nastier. -- Livingstone
Grade: B
Sharks
Sharks receive: Second-round pick (2019 - from Florida), fourth-round pick (2018 - Vegas via Florida), fifth-round pick (2018 - from Florida), and fifth-round pick (2020 - from Ottawa).
If there were a weekly NHL general manager's power rankings, San Jose GM Doug Wilson would surely be catapulting to the top of the list after Tuesday's roster wizardry.
Wilson turned serviceable AHL rearguard and fringe prospect Julius Bergman and a sixth-rounder into four draft picks. He also got out from under the heinous $4 million for the next two seasons he would have owed to the perennially underachieving Boedker, who's managed only 25 goals over the past 155 regular-season games for the Sharks.
Obviously, adding two fifth-rounders and a fourth doesn't exactly translate into NHL-ready talent, and realistically the likelihood of picks that late having an impact on the Sharks in the near future is slim. But the Sharks are still the clear winners of the day, as the team is now in excellent position to make a serious run at signing one of either Ilya Kovalchuk or John Tavares. -Livingstone
Panarin is set to become an unrestricted free agent after next season, so Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen is testing the market for him as a result, Friedman adds.
The Blue Jackets do have the cap room to keep Panarin - barring an otherworldly contract request - but if he isn't interested in a contract extension, then trading him now in exchange for assets would be better than losing him to free agency for nothing.
Panarin, 26, enjoyed a stellar season with the Blue Jackets, totaling 27 goals and 82 points in 81 games. He was acquired by Columbus from the Chicago Blackhawks roughly a year ago in exchange for forward Brandon Saad.
The Blue Jackets unquestionably got the the better player in the deal, but the Blackhawks likely feared they wouldn't be able to sign Panarin long term, which is why they re-acquired Saad, who is under contract through 2020-21 at $6 million - the same cap hit as Panarin.
The Blackhawks' fears are now becoming a reality for the Blue Jackets. However, there'll certainly be no shortage of teams willing to give up a big haul in order to acquire the dynamic forward.
For now, Kekalainen remains intent on getting Panarin signed.
Mike Hoffman has been employed by three different hockey franchises in the last handful of hours after being dealt from Ottawa to San Jose, and then from San Jose to Florida before noon on Tuesday.
So naturally, there were questions to be answered surrounding the Panthers' newest addition and his fit in Florida. None were more important than the one related to Hoffman's recent off-ice issues - specifically, his girlfriend's alleged campaign of harassment against Erik Karlsson and his wife.
"We did our homework and we discussed it with a lot of different people," Panthers general manager Dale Tallon said of Hoffman, according to Joshua Clipperton of the Canadian Press. "We feel that's in the past ... we're very confident he'll be embraced by our team and by their wives and girlfriends."
Reports emerged last week regarding Hoffman's longtime girlfriend, Monica Caryk, and her alleged online harassment of the Karlssons over the last year.
However, according to Tallon, there won't be any issues with welcoming Caryk into the Panthers' group of wives and girlfriends. "It's important. We have a young group. We have a great room," Tallon said, according to Chris Stevenson of The Athletic.
"Our wives and girlfriends really got along great last year. They are a young group. That has to have some sort of impact, but I think they tend to get along better when the team wins more."
Tallon acquired Hoffman in exchange for the Panthers' fourth- and fifth-round picks in 2018, and a second-rounder in 2019.
San Jose Sharks general manager Doug Wilson had a productive Tuesday morning. All before 7:30 a.m. PT, Wilson managed to trade underachieving forward Mikkel Boedker's $4-million cap hit, defense prospect Julius Bergman, and a sixth-round pick in exchange for a second-round pick, a fourth-round pick, and two fifth-round picks.
Since the Sharks' return from the Panthers for Hoffman appears to be better than what they gave up to acquire him, one might ask, why didn't Sens GM Pierre Dorion swing a deal with the Panthers?
Dorion was interested in making a deal with Florida, but he wanted players in return, not picks, Panthers GM Dale Tallon told Sportsnet's Chris Johnston. Given Dorion's preferred return, Tallon never offered him the package he sent to San Jose. Dorion even contacted Tallon about Hoffman last week, but Tallon was told the price was too high.
It's clear that the Sens had their eyes on a player on Florida's roster that Tallon was unwilling to part with. Who that player might've been remains to be seen.
Rebuilding teams would usually welcome a load of draft picks in exchange for a player that they needed to trade with open arms, but for Dorion and the Senators, that apparently wasn't the case.
Hoffman had initially been traded to San Jose in exchange for forward Mikkel Boedker earlier Tuesday morning before moving to the Panthers less than three hours later.
"Mike is a skilled, consistent, and hard-working player who has proven himself to be a talented goal-scorer in the NHL," Panthers general manager Dale Tallon said in a release. "His speed, experience, and offensive abilities will bolster our top-six group."
Heading San Jose's way in exchange for Hoffman are Florida's fourth- and fifth-round picks in the upcoming 2018 draft, along with a second-rounder in 2019.
Pretty good day for Doug Wilson. He gets rid of Mikkel Boedker and trades a 6th round pick in exchange for a 2nd, a 4th and two 5th round picks, plus $4 million in cap space and $6 million in real salary savings. #sjsharks
On the other side, San Jose positioned itself to make future roster moves with the addition of picks and salary cap flexibility. The Sharks have been rumored to be in the mix for highly sought-after winger Ilya Kovalchuk, as well as pending prized unrestricted free agent John Tavares.
