What's up with Mike Hoffman getting traded twice?

Welcome to FTW Explains: a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. You may have seen Mike Hoffman trending on Twitter and wondered what was up with that? We're here to help.

Who is Mike Hoffman?

Up until Tuesday, he was a forward for the Ottawa Senators who has totaled 20-plus goals in each of the last four seasons.

And he got traded?

Correct. The San Jose Sharks dealt for him in an offseason trade.

What happened next?

Hours later, the Florida Panthers traded a bunch of draft picks for him:

Wait, he got traded TWICE in 24 hours?

Indeed.

That's weird.

Yeah, but there's more behind this story than him getting dealt twice.

Really?

Nearly a week ago, The Ottawa Citizen published a story that reported the wife of Hoffman's then-Senators teammate Erik Karlsson filed for "an order of protection" against Hoffman's girlfriend because of alleged repeated harassment:

In late November, the Karlssons announced on social media that they were expecting their first child, a son they would later name Axel Michael who was stillborn on March 19, 2018.

"Monika Caryk has uttered numerous statements wishing my unborn child dead," says Melinda Karlsson's sworn statement to the court.

Erik Karlsson, too, was allegedly targeted.

"She also uttered that she wished I was dead and that someone should 'take out' my husband's legs to 'end his career.'

"Monika Caryk has posted over 1,000 negative and derogatory statements about me as a professional."

Did the Senators organization know about this?

The Citizen said that was the case.

Was the first trade in response to the reports?

We don't know for sure, but Senators GM Pierre Dorion said the trade would help improve "chemistry, leadership and character in the locker room and on the ice."

And did the Panthers factor this into dealing for Hoffman?

Yes, and their general manager added this:

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