Looking back on Nils Höglander’s time as a Canuck

Ahead of free agency on Wednesday, the Vancouver Canucks are making moves to clear roster spots and begin cementing their asset pool for the upcoming 2026-27 season. On Monday, the team announced that left-winger Nils Höglander had been traded to the Nashville Predators in exchange for a third-round pick in 2029. 

After a disappointing series of seasons for both teams since the Canucks and Predators last met in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, this trade made sense for all parties. The Canucks are looking to stack picks to build their prospect pool and create roster space to begin to turn over the roster and  veterans. The Predators have hit a stagnant phase after locking down notable names like Jonathan Marchessault, Steven Stamkos, and Brady Skjei into long-term deals to mediocre results, and are looking for pieces to change things quickly to avoid an all-out teardown. Höglander had a promising start to his NHL career that has been ground to a somewhat puzzling halt, and a change of scenery might be necessary for him to get back to form as a full-time NHLer. Despite being just 25 years old, the Swedish forward played six seasons within the Canucks system, totalling 331 regular-season and 11 playoff games in the NHL, and 45 regular-season and 6 postseason games in the AHL. 

Höglander’s journey with the Canucks began back in 2019, when he was drafted in the second round at 40th overall. He was initially projected as a late first-round player, perhaps dropping slightly in the draft due to his smaller size, then listed at 5’9” and under 200 lbs, which remains true today. Between Jack Hughes, Cole Caufield, and a handful more players, the 2019 draft was famously the year of the undersized, speedy skater, a reflection of a widespread gradual change in the game. Despite his smaller stature, Höglander has never shied away from playing a physical game, always keeping the motor running, especially along the boards. 

After signing his ELC early into the COVID-19 pandemic, Höglander got a taste of NHL play early on, making his debut at the start of the 2020-21 season in January of 2021. That shortened, restriction-heavy season is still the most utilized Höglander ever was in terms of ice time, averaging over 15 minutes per game, and scoring 27 points (13G 14A) in 56 games. His rookie campaign would have been even more stunning had it been a regularly scheduled season. Höglander very quickly became a fan favourite, not an immediate star, but an exciting young winger with serious potential, a great detail game, and a tough streak. His rookie campaign was so notable that Höglander won the Pavel Bure Most Exciting Player Award in the Canucks’ fan-voted awards in 2021 – this past year, the honours went to Zeev Buium for his half-season rookie campaign of 45 games. 

While it might be sad yet necessary to move on from Höglander, it is not a shocking move from the Canucks. Höglander’s name has come up in trade speculation for years, beginning during Rick Tocchet’s tenure with the Canucks. Höglander’s best season on the stat sheet was Tocchet’s first full season with the club in 2023-24 – no surprise there, given it is the Canucks’ most successful run this decade – but by next year, Höglander was regularly in no man’s land with Tocchet, playing fewer minutes and further down the lineup. Höglander did not have much luck with Tocchet’s successor, Adam Foote, either. At Höglander’s peak, he had 36 points (24G 12A) in 80 games with a +23 rating. This season, he had just 2 goals and 3 assists in 38 games and averaged less than 12 minutes of ice time. The injuries he faced did no favours for his attempts at redemption, and he missed the first 10 weeks of last season due to a preseason injury and subsequent issues. He has worked backwards from his rookie year, not the trajectory any young player wants for himself or his team. 

As a complementary playmaking, puck-moving winger with a scrappy streak, with some defensive and possession issues in the offensive zone that could surely be improved with time and focus, Höglander was always going to struggle as the team around him got weaker. The Canucks’ centre depth waned, and their offence reached abysmal territory – it is difficult to be a complementary winger when there is not much to complement. Neither Tocchet’s nor Foote’s coaching system was particularly conducive to Hoglander’s strengths, and his stickhandling and fluid puck-moving, energetic game never seemed to flourish as it once had. 

In hindsight, holding onto Höglander until an official rebuild process to stock up on draft picks was the right move, rather than a trade deadline flip. Some fans still hoped that Höglander could return to his exciting, 20-goal-season form, but the circumstances just began to stack up against him. At a certain point in the last two seasons, a Höglander trade began to look inevitable; it was only a matter of the right timing and return. 

In Höglander, the Nashville Predators are getting a player with great upside in exchange for a very reasonably placed pick, which makes it a safe gamble. Surrounded by veteran forwards like Stamkos and Ryan O’Reilly, defensive superstar Roman Josi, elite goaltender Juuse Saros, and an exciting group of young players, Hoglander has the chance to hit the reset button. It’s a shame that Höglander did not work out long-term for Vancouver after he was drafted by the organization and had such a promising start, but he always worked hard and remained remarkably positive through some very turbulent times in Vancouver. He was dedicated, always took tough feedback and healthy scratches in his stride, and never gave up on improvement. Although the NHL schedule for the 2026-27 season has yet to be released, it’s safe to say that Nils Höglander will get a warm welcome upon his return to Rogers Arena with Nashville.