To say Mike Hoffman is having a tough season is an understatement.

After nine games, the No. 68, who averages nearly 14 minutes per game, has just one goal and one assist. While his career has always been based on the quality of his shot, the Kitchener native also only fired 17 small shots.

At 32, the forward is showing obvious signs of slowing down. But while Jonathan Drouin and Evgenii Dadonov were rightfully sidelined on Saturday due to poor performances, Hoffman still escaped the axe.

During a discussion between Jean-Charles Lajoie and former Canadiens coach Michel Therrien, the “Hoffman case” was analyzed at length by the two men, with Therrien being particularly eloquent.

Watch the full exchange in the main video.

“It’s better to start playing hockey! If you’re making acquisitions to improve your racquet, you can’t bat for 1000. In Hoffman’s case, it’s exactly the kind of mistake he’s shown us so far.

The ex-CH coach then warned the organization about the former Senators, Blues and Panthers.

“Basically, having a guy like Hoffman isn’t so bad because all the teams on the circuit have players like him. But we must not make the mistake of playing him stubborn, especially when he takes the place of a youngster ready to grow in training.

“Hoffman, he needs to get his fingers off his nose and start producing because I don’t want him to ruin the team’s hopes, be it this year or in the future.”

At the end of the current season, Mike Hoffman has one more season on his contract. The payroll impact will be $4.5 million.