"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 in a team release.
Despite obviously giving up the most valuable piece in the deal, Hoffman was traded along with prospect Cody Donaghey and a 2020 fifth-round pick in exchange for forward Mikkel Boedker, a 2020 sixth-rounder, and AHL rearguard Julius Bergman, Dorion feels there's still value in the return coming Ottawa's way - especially when it comes to Boedker, a former eighth overall draft pick who can play both sides of the ice.
"Mikkel Boedker is a competitive, versatile, two-way forward who can play both wings," Dorion added. "He has a track record of playing his best hockey in the most important games, including the playoffs and internationally. His skill set - in particular his speed - along with his veteran leadership fits with our vision for the team."
While Dorion was put in a tough spot due to an off-ice rift between Hoffman and Karlsson, the deal still provides the team with a decent top-six option in Boedker as well as salary cap relief.
In 82 games for the Sens last season, Hoffman notched 22 goals and 34 assists in 18:24 of ice time per night. Boedker registered 15 goals and 22 assists in 74 contests for the Sharks.
TORONTO - Adam Eaton has become somewhat of a Stanley Cup whisperer.
The Washington Nationals outfielder has resided in a Stanley Cup-winning city in three of the last six seasons and jokes that once his contract expires, he could be a good-luck charm for NHL teams looking to win a championship.
"The Cup seems to follow me around," Eaton told theScore in the visiting clubhouse of Rogers Centre. "When I was in Chicago, twice they won it (2013, 2015). I was one year delayed (in Washington), I apologize for that.
"If NHL teams want to lobby for me - land a little payday - that would be alright with me (once I'm a free agent). I'm all for that. Leafs, if you're listening."
The excitement from the Washington Capitals' Stanley Cup win was still palpable in the Nationals' clubhouse during the ball club's first trip to Toronto in six years. Eaton was wearing a Capitals hat, while several other players had Capitals gear on in the hours before the game.
"I gotta admit, I'm a Flyers fan, I grew up outside Philadelphia, so once the Flyers got knocked out I jumped on the Caps bandwagon," Nationals closer Sean Doolittle told theScore. "I think the thing that I thought was so cool was the way the city rallied behind them. There was a definite energy around the city throughout the playoffs as they were making the run. If they were playing, the game was on in our clubhouse. It was on on the bus when we were going back to the hotel after our game. Guys had it on their phones, we would watch it on the way to the airport."
No major leaguer followed the Stanley Cup playoffs closer than Nationals star and Las Vegas native Bryce Harper, who became the Golden Knights' No. 1 fan during their inaugural season. Though he admits he was upset that Vegas couldn't deliver his hometown a championship, he was excited for his adopted home in Washington.
"For the Capitals to be able to bring a Cup back to D.C. it's huge," Harper told theScore. "What your goal is at the beginning of the year in every single sport is to win a championship, and for the Caps to be able to do that for the city and for the fans, I'm very excited for them. Hopefully Vegas can do that next year."
Getting over the hump
Washington has certainly had no shortage of postseason disappointment, a burden the Capitals and Nationals have long shared. Each team had historically struggled trying to get over the hump, until the Capitals finally broke through this season. The Nationals have never advanced past the Division Series since moving to Washington in 2005, while the Capitals had never won the Stanley Cup in their previous 42 year history.
While the Capitals have taken some pressure off the city, anything but a championship for the Nationals would still be considered a disappointment this season. Harper, Daniel Murphy, and Gio Gonzalez are all set to hit free agency and the once rebuilding National League East is becoming much more competitive.
"For us, I think we have the players in here to do it," Eaton said. "I think we have the players in here to be successful and make a good push. The Caps didn't make huge moves, they continued with what they had in the room and made it work. If anything, take that away from (their championship), what's in the room is what we have to work with. The pieces are there and you just have to go out there and perform."
Doolittle believes there are some lessons to be learned given both franchises' similar playoff history. Watching the Caps, he saw the club relax after finally beating the longtime rival Pittsburgh Penguins, and predicts the same could happen if the Nationals advanced to the NL Championship Series.
"I think a lot of us have kinda thought that once you do break through, the sky's the limit," Doolittle said. "It sounds really cliche, but I think that's kind of the feeling. Once you get over the hump you can go all the way. (The Capitals) were all talking about how much fun they had and that's really important. I think if you can get to a point where, yeah there's pressure, there's nerves, but the Caps were talking about how much fun they had. That's a big thing in the playoffs, managing that energy."
The Life of the Party
The victory lap around Washington from Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin has certainly not gone unnoticed by the Nationals. Ovechkin has been spotted running around town with the Cup, and even opted to jump shirtless into a fountain with several fans.
"I think everyone's happy for him and that's the cool part," Eaton said. "It doesn't matter which part of the country or world that you're from, you can have appreciation for a guy who, since a little boy, has dreamed of holding the Cup over his head. When you have your chance to (celebrate) you might as well take advantage of it. I think a lot of people may not realize what is put into a life like his - dreaming of it, wanting it ... it's just a sigh of relief. It's really unique to see and hard work pays off and I'm glad he's enjoying it."
Harper has watched Ovechkin plenty since he joined the Nationals in 2012. The two have both been respective MVPs of their league, and Harper says it's incredible to watch someone fulfill their dream like Ovechkin did.
"For Ovie, he's won so many awards and has had so many things happen in his career, to do that for the first time, you kind of expect (the crazy celebrations)," Harper said. "I'm very happy for him, very happy time for the Caps. It's a thing to celebrate all summer."
Next in line?
As much inspiration as the Capitals provided, it also built some envy in the Nationals clubhouse. They want that celebration, they want that moment with the city.
"There's something about the Cup, being able to walk around the with trophy, no other sport really has that," Dolittle said. "A lot of us, when we got traded over here last year, we were talking about that we hoped we were going to be the ones that would give the city its first parade. Now, you almost want it even more. Now that you see that kind of stuff, that's what you play for, you play for those champagne celebrations.
"Guys in here that have either won, have been to the playoffs, or have got a taste of it, you'll do anything to get back to that point. That energy is so different that it's addicting. You want to get back there and to see them do that, that's what we want."
For Harper, a championship will likely define his legacy one day. He's already been a five-time All-Star, Rookie of the Year, and MVP. But playoff success has yet to come. Four trips to the NLDS have equaled four early exits. It doesn't make it any easier with Harper playing out what could be his final year in Washington this season.
Speaking about his future is something Harper has refused to talk about this year, but hockey isn't. Strange for a kid from the desert, though he's the first to admit that the sport has captured him in a way he never imagined. Now, he even hopes his future child plays hockey.
"It would be fun, a lot of fun," Harper said. "Hockey in Vegas is definitely up and coming. To be able to have a professional team finally, it's a lot of fun."
When asked if the Harpers might have Stanley Cup and World Series champions in the family one day: "Hey, we'll see."
Tuesday's trade came after the wife of Ottawa's Erik Karlsson applied for a much-publicized peace bond that accused Hoffman's fiancee of a season-long online harassment campaign. Hoffman denied the allegations.
Hoffman, who averaged 26 goals over the last four seasons, has two years remaining on his deal with an annual cap hit of $5,187,500.
Boedker is coming off a 15-goal, 37-point campaign with the Sharks, and will have a cap hit of $4 million for each of the next two seasons.
Though the cap hits are similar, the Senators will actually be saving $5.3 million in total salary based on Tuesday's trade:
Mike Hoffman - 2 x 5,187,500 ($11.3M in salary remaining) Cody Donaghey - 1 x $641,667 (ELC)
Mikkel Boedker - 2 x $4,000,000 ($6M in salary remaining) Julius Bergman - 1 x $714,167 (ELC)#Sens save $1,187,500 per season in cap space.#Sens save $5,300,000 in total salary paid.
As for the smaller pieces of the deal, Bergman, 22, was a second-round pick of the Sharks in 2014. A right-handed shooting defenseman, he spent the 2017-18 campaign with the AHL's San Jose Barracuda, registering 10 goals and 10 assists.
Donaghey, also a 22-year-old right-handed shooting blue-liner, tallied 16 points in 54 games with the Brampton Beast of the ECHL last season.
The Washington Capitals were not willing to meet the cost that comes with success.
A Stanley Cup win triggered a clause in Barry Trotz's contract that would have seen him remain head coach of the Capitals for the next two seasons with a $300,000 raise - bringing his annual salary to $1.8 million - but after the two sides were unable to come to a revised agreement, Trotz resigned.
At a media availability Monday, Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan noted that Trotz wanted to bring his compensation in line with the NHL's top coaches, reported Isabelle Khurshudyan of The Washington Post.
"There are probably four guys that are making that money, so it's the upper echelon. It's the big-revenue teams," MacLellan said.
According to CapFriendly, Toronto Maple Leafs bench boss Mike Babcock is currently the NHL's highest-paid coach, bringing in $6.25 million per year, closely followed by Joel Quenneville of the Chicago Blackhawks at $6 million, then Montreal Canadiens coach Claude Julien, who earns $5 million.
While the dollar figure may have been troubling for the Capitals, it appears the length of the extension was a sticking point, MacLellan indicated, as per Tarik El-Bashir of NBC Sports Washington.
Trotz spent the last four seasons in Washington, and a five-year extension - if he remained for the life of the contract - would have brought his tenure to nine seasons, a rarity in the NHL.
Trotz is now a free agent and has been given clearance by the Capitals to speak with other clubs. The New York Islanders are currently the only other team without a head coach.
Meanwhile, the search for the next coach in Washington will begin with current assistant coach Todd Reirden, who spent the last four seasons working alongside Trotz. Reirden is expected to be a strong candidate for the role, given MacLellan indicated to El-Bashir that the club has been grooming him for head coaching duties.
The 10 surviving members of the Humboldt Broncos will reunite for the first time at the NHL Awards on Wednesday in Las Vegas, the league announced.
In April, the Broncos team bus was heading to an SJHL playoff game when it collided with a transport truck. The collision killed 16, including 10 players and the head coach.
The NHL and hockey community worldwide rallied around the tragedy, raising over $15 million for a GoFundMe campaign. The immediate outpouring of support also included all NHL players wearing commemorative stickers on their helmets.
The awards show will feature ceremonies for first responders from October's mass shooting in Las Vegas as well, and members from the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School hockey team in Florida.
General manager Jim Rutherford and the Pittsburgh Penguins aren't satisfied with a second-round playoff elimination.
After their quest for a three-peat was cut short in May, Rutherford and his club have their sights set on another championship run in 2018-19, and roster changes could be in order with the draft and free agency period on the horizon.
"Yeah, it possibly is easier to move some guys now," Rutherford told Josh Yohe of The Athletic. "Those memories and those accomplishments never go away. But we can't live on those either. We want to win again. So, there's a real chance we'll make a couple of changes here in a little bit."
Asked what he's looking for in particular, Rutherford was clear.
"We need to get deeper," Rutherford said. "That's a big goal for us right now. I want more balance throughout the lineup."
Pittsburgh made a move for center Derick Brassard before February's trade deadline to bolster an already lethal attack, but ran into offensive issues once Evgeni Malkin suffered an injury in the postseason.
Rutherford has just under $5 million in cap space to work with this offseason, according to CapFriendly, with Bryan Rust and Jamie Oleksiak among the Penguins' notable restricted free agents in need of new contracts.
Trotz reportedly had a below market two-year extension automatically put on the table upon winning the Stanley Cup, but both sides were unable to come to an agreement on new terms, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.
The 55-year-old is now a free agent and the Capitals have granted him permission to speak to other club, adds Friedman.
"After careful consideration and consultation with my family, I am officially announcing my resignation as Head Coach of the Washington Capitals," Trotz said in a statement, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston. "When I came to Washington four years ago we had one goal in mind and that was to bring the Stanley Cup to the nation's capital. We had an incredible run this season culminating with our players and staff achieving our goal and sharing the excitement with our fans. I would like to thank Mr. Leonsis, Dick Patrick and Brian MacLellan for giving me the opportunity to be a part of this great organization. I would also like to thank our players and staff who worked tirelessly every day to achieve our success."
