Senators to keep Hoffman contract talks under wraps

The Ottawa Senators don't want to talk about Mike Hoffman's next contract.

Not now, and certainly not in an arbitrator's boardroom for another summer.

"We're not even going to go there yet," Senators general manager Bryan Murray said, according to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun.

"We're not going to make this a situation where we talk about it very often. If something can happen, at some point, whether it's January or April, we'll do that."

Technically, the Senators can't go there. Because Hoffman's deal was brokered with the assistance of a third party, they cannot pick up talks until Jan. 1.

But Murray may not want to delay a long-term investment too much longer after that.

Hoffman's emerged as one of the league's premier goal scorers since losing his arbitration case. And he continues to prove he's productive when peeved.