Playing for the Lake Erie Monsters in the AHL playoffs, the 19-year-old did his best Evgeni Malkin impression with a spinning backhand goal Tuesday against Grand Rapids.
The 24-year-old was injured during the first period of Game 2 after being hit by Capitals blue-liner Brooks Orpik, who was suspended three games as a result.
Maatta is expected to play on the team's second defensive pairing alongside Trevor Daley. Justin Schultz will be a healthy scratch.
The 26-year-old restricted free agent, who produced in spite of head coach Dave Cameron this past season, was thought to be a trade candidate for the Ottawa Senators this offseason.
Until the hiring of new bench boss Guy Boucher, that is.
Boucher and Hoffman are quite familiar with one another after the coach guided Hoffman's junior team - the QMJHL's Drummondville Voltigeurs - from 2007-09. Time has passed and both have evolved, but Boucher still believes he can bring out a more complete game from Hoffman all these years later.
"I think Mike has shown great things in the NHL. He was in the All-Star Game. Let's focus on his strengths, the fact he's a game-breaker. He can shoot, score and change the game," Boucher told Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen on Monday.
"Does he have things he can improve? Of course, but I'm so excited to be coaching him again. I know him. I know what to do with this guy and I know how to surround him ... I just know in the past we've had a great relationship. Yeah, I pushed him, but I pushed him with respect because I cared like I did with all the other players and it turned out to be something good."
Hoffman, 26, recorded 29 goals and 30 assists in 78 games this season, despite averaging only 17:33 per game.
There's still the issue of his new contract to work out, with talks reportedly set to intensify with a new coach in place. The hiring of Boucher, however, seems to bode well for the dynamic winger.
The Washington Capitals remain in a hole few in their position have climbed out of.
Thanks to a Game 5 win that pushed their second-round series with the Pittsburgh Penguins to at least six games, Washington still has the chance to become the third Presidents' Trophy-winning club to come all the way back from a 3-1 series deficit.
Gerry Nelson is a huge Saskatoon Blades fan. He's also blind, so he relies on his 12-year-old son, Wyatt, to be his play-by-play man during games.
The NHL recently found out about Nelson's story and gave him the surprise of a lifetime as part of its "Day with the Cup" initiative. The result was a touching and emotional moment between father and son.
With a couple of days off at the World Hockey Championship in Russia, Matthews sat down for an interview with TSN's Darren Dreger, and revealed that he met with Maple Leafs general manager Lou Lamoriello and director of player personnel Mark Hunter.
Matthews called the meeting a "get to know you" type conversation, and said it was the first time he'd met either man.
"It was nice to meet them, talk to them, see what they thought. Get their thoughts on things," Matthews said.
The 18-year-old presumptive first overall pick by the Maple Leafs has already said playing for Toronto would be "special," and echoed those sentiments again to Dreger.
"It's the Maple Leafs, hockey mecca of the world," he added. "They have a world-class coach."
Matthews has four points at this year's worlds.
The Maple Leafs haven't had a No. 1 center since Mats Sundin, so despite the recent goal-scoring exploits of Finland's Patrik Laine, it's presumed Toronto will be selecting the American on June 24 at the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.
Former NHLer Nigel Dawes, a Canadian-born forward playing for Kazakhstan at the World Championship in Russia, took a two-minute diving penalty for this display Tuesday.
Norway beat Kazakhstan 3-2, but at least Dawes is going home with a medal. The diving competition at this year's Worlds is over, and Dawes is clearly the winner. Thanks to everyone who participated.
Seguin continues to practice and recover from an Achilles injury suffered in March, but he didn't travel with the team throughout the series, and hasn't suited up since Game 2 of Dallas' first-round series versus the Minnesota Wild.
The 24-year-old's status has been up in the air throughout the second round, as Stars general manager Jim Nill said Seguin would only need "four-to-five days" to return to game-form once he resumed skating.
There's no word on Seguin's availability for the Western Conference finals if the Stars are to advance.
Bruce Boudreau was introduced as the fourth full-time head coach in Minnesota Wild history Tuesday, and he couldn't be happier about it.
"It's a complete honor for me to be able to come here and coach in the State of Hockey," Boudreau said.
Boudreau's had success in his two stops behind the bench in Washington and Anahiem. He has an impressive 409-192-80 record in 10 seasons, but he admitted he knew he'd be looking for work if the Ducks lost another Game 7, which they did.
The man's only been unemployed for about 10 days over the past 10 years, and Boudreau joked that his wife tells him each time he's out of a job that he better find another one.
General manager Chuck Fletcher said Boudreau was his first choice, and Boudreau's looking forward to taking over.
Boudreau: "The Central Division is the toughest division. It's a great challenge. ... Everything pointed in this direction." #mnwild
It'll be a different experience, as Boudreau won't be coaching megastars like Alex Ovechkin, Corey Perry, and Ryan Getzlaf. The Wild have always been known as a defensive juggernaut, and that won't change under Boudreau.
"As much as I like Ovechkin and Getzlaf and Perry, you don't need those guys to win," he said. "You can do it the old-fashioned way," he added. "You do it as a team."
New #MNWild coach Bruce Boudreau: "My job is to find the Achilles heel of every player. And push that button."
Boudreau focused on his experience and how it will help him transition to the Wild.
"There's not a situation that can come up that I haven't already faced. I've gone through the trials and tribulations."
Fletcher added that John Torchetti, who served as interim head coach after Mike Yeo was fired, was disappointed in the decision and has yet to decide his future.
"He's assessing his options right now," Fletcher said. "If he wants to remain in the organization, I'd love to have him."
Fletcher and Boudreau will sit down and figure out what to do about the rest of the new head coach's staff.