The Ottawa Senators have parted ways with forward Mike Hoffman, whose fiancée Monika Caryk was accused of harassing team captain Erik Karlsson‘s wife, Melinda.
The Senators traded Hoffman, prospect Cody Donaghey and a fifth-round draft pick in 2020 to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for forward Mikkel Boedker, defenceman Julius Bergman and a sixth-round draft pick in 2020.
The Sharks traded Hoffman to the Florida Panthers later in the day.
The Sens announced the initial trade in a tweet Tuesday morning.
The trade comes after Melinda Karlsson filed for a peace bond against Caryk in an Ottawa courtroom on May 4. Karlsson has accused Caryk of cyberbullying her by posting hundreds of hateful messages about her and her husband, Erik, on social media.
“Monika Caryk has uttered numerous statements wishing my unborn child dead,” Karlsson said in a sworn statement.
The Karlssons’ first child arrived stillborn in March.
Karlsson also alleges Caryk wished she was dead and that someone would “take out” her husband’s legs to “end his career.”
Caryk and Hoffman have denied the allegations.
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“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,” Sens general manager Pierre Dorion said in a news release.
Hoffman, 28, is under contract for two more seasons at a salary of $5.1875 million. The native of Kitchener, Ont., was chosen by the Senators in the fifth round of the 2009 NHL entry draft. He has scored at least 22 goals in each of the last four seasons with the Senators.
The dispute between Hoffman’s fiancée and Karlsson’s wife had cast doubt on both players’ futures with the team.
Karlsson, 28, is entering the final year of a contract that pays him $6.5 million per season. Rumours have swirled that Karlsson could be traded sometime before the beginning of the 2018-19 season, if he cannot be signed to a contract extension.
Hoffman’s departure brings some relief to a team that has been plagued by controversy in recent months.
Assistant general manager Randy Lee is due to appear in court Friday on charges that he allegedly harassed a hotel shuttle driver in Buffalo earlier this month.
Some fans have loudly called for team owner Eugene Melnyk to sell the team under the hashtag #MelnykOut, after he openly mused about moving the team in January.
Former captain Daniel Alfredsson said last month he hoped the team would find a new owner.
The Senators finished the 2017-18 season with the second-worst record in the NHL.
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