Senators trade Hoffman, select Tkachuk after worst season in 22 years

After the NHL Draft, free agency and other offseason moves, NHL.com is taking a look at where each team stands. Today, the Ottawa Senators:
The Ottawa Senators traded their leading goal-scorer since 2012-13 after having their worst season in more than 20 years.

Forward Mike Hoffman, who scored 107 goals the past five seasons, ended up with the Florida Panthers hours after being sent to the San Jose Sharks on June 19 in a four-player trade that brought forward Mikkel Boedker to the Senators.
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The trade came a week after the Ottawa Citizen reported Hoffman's fiancee was accused of harassment and cyberbullying by the wife of Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson, the two-time Norris Trophy winner (2012, 2015) who has been the focus of trade speculation this offseason.
Ottawa selected forward Brady Tkachuk with the No. 4 pick in the 2018 NHL Draft. The 18-year-old has not decided if he will sign an entry-level contract with the Senators or return to play another season at Boston University.
The Senators finished with 67 points (28-43-11) in 2017-18, their worst 82-game season since 1995-96, when they had 41 points (18-59-5).
Here is what the Senators look like today:

Key arrival

Mikkel Boedker, F: The 28-year-old was acquired along with defenseman prospect Julius Bergman and a sixth-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft for Hoffman, defenseman prospect Cody Donaghey and a fifth-round choice in the 2020 draft. Boedker brings much-needed speed to the top six. He has scored at least 10 goals in seven NHL seasons, including 2017-18, when he had 37 points (15 goals, 22 assists) in 74 games.

Key departures

Mike Hoffman, F: After scoring the first three goals of his NHL career in 25 games in 2013-14, he scored at least 22 each of the next four seasons, including an NHL career-high 29 in 2015-16. The 28-year-old was a critical part of the Senators power play, averaging 10 man-advantage goals the past three seasons. ... Alexandre Burrows, F: The Senators bought out the final season of his two-year, $5 million contract June 26. Burrows had 25 points (12 goals, 13 assists) in 91 games with Ottawa after being acquired in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks on Feb. 27, 2017. The 37-year-old announced his retirement from the NHL on July 6.

On the cusp

Brady Tkachuk, F: At 6-foot-3, 196 pounds, he has a physique like his father, former NHL forward Keith Tkachuk, and is fearless like his brother, Calgary Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk. Brady, who turns 19 on Sept. 16, had 31 points (eight goals, 23 assists) in 40 games as a freshman at BU last season. … Christian Wolanin, D: After finishing his junior season at the University of North Dakota, Wolanin signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Senators on March 21 and had three points (one goal, two assists) and was minus-4 in 10 NHL games. He showed poise in his zone and confidence with the puck on offense. The 23-year-old will be given an opportunity to play significant minutes with Ottawa this season. ... Colin White, F: The 21-year-old played most of 2017-18 with Belleville in the American Hockey League, but with a lack of depth at center in Ottawa, he's a candidate for a full-time role in the NHL this season. White, who was selected by the Senators in the first round (No. 21) of the 2015 NHL Draft, has proven to be a reliable defensive forward but needs to show he can produce offensively. He had 27 points (11 goals, 16 assists) in 47 games with Belleville last season and has six points (two goals, four assists) in 23 NHL games.

What they still need

Offense at forward. The Senators were 25th in the NHL at 2.67 goals per game and 27th on the power play (16.6 percent). The Hoffman trade means creating offense will be more difficult. They also need to build depth at defenseman. Even if Karlsson isn't traded, the Senators have traded Dion Phaneuf and lost Marc Methot (NHL Expansion Draft) and Fredrik Claesson (unrestricted free agent) in the past 13 months. They need quality play from their second and third pairs to win games.

Fantasy focus

Karlsson is by far the most valuable fantasy player on the Senators for as long as he's on the roster, but one bright spot for Ottawa is defenseman Thomas Chabot. Regardless of whether Karlsson (potential 2019 unrestricted free agent) is traded before or during the season, Chabot should be fantasy-relevant in deep leagues or off the waiver wire early in the season. The 21-year-old played on the first power-play unit with Karlsson down the stretch last season and had 25 points (nine goals, 16 assists), eight on the power play, in 63 games. He's a high-end young defenseman who played for Canada at the 2018 IIHF World Championship and will be the foundation of Ottawa's rebuild. -- Pete Jensen

Projected lineup

Mikkel Boedker -- Matt Duchene -- Mark Stone
Ryan Dzingel -- Jean-Gabriel Pageau -- Bobby Ryan
Magnus Paajarvi -- Zack Smith -- Tom Pyatt
Filip Chlapik -- Colin White -- Logan Brown
Thomas Chabot -- Erik Karlsson
Mark Borowiecki -- Cody Ceci
Christian Wolanin -- Chris Wideman
Craig Anderson
Mike Condon