Stan Bowman and the Edmonton Oilers terminate PTO for 700-game NHL veteran

The Edmonton Oilers strengthened their forward group in the summer, expecting Jeff Skinner and Victor Arvidsson to play significant roles in the team's success after they made it to the Stanley Cup Finals the previous season. But one of their more intriguing additions was former Montreal Canadien Mike Hoffman, who was given a professional tryout by the team after posting 23 points in a season with the San Jose Sharks.

But after a decent but unspectacular training camp with the Oilers, the team has now formally announced on social media that Hoffman has been released from the PTO, making him a free agent once more.

Given that the Oilers have players like Matthew Savoie and Vasily Podkolzin in the lineup who can probably produce at a much younger age, the 34-year-old is making a sensible move. Hoffman had a limited role on the Sharks the previous season and is now a free agent in a league where there aren't many spots available, particularly on the wing, so it's unclear where he will go from here.

In his prime, Hoffman scored close to thirty goals while playing for the Ottawa Senators and Florida Panthers.

Mike Hoffman is running out of time to find a new home as the NHL season is just a few days away. If he doesn't find an NHL contract it will be interesting to see the approach Mike Hoffman takes to the future of his hockey career.