Vancouver Canucks forward Nils Höglander has found himself in head coach Rick Tocchet’s dog house and thus has seen his ice-time plummet. While reports out there state both sides are hoping for a resolution, NHL Network’s Kevin Weekes shared three suitors he’s heard are exploring the trade possibility of Höglander.
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A name generating interest in the market is @Canucks F Hoglander. He’s 24, with cost certainty given his current 3Yr 3M AAV, and skilled. I’m told the Caps, Pens and CBJ are among clubs that’ve explored the possibility. #HockeyX pic.twitter.com/fNqb1S43gh
— Kevin Weekes (@KevinWeekes) November 29, 2024
The Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins and Columbus Blue Jackets are the team’s Weekes lists that could be potential suitors for the 23-year-old Canucks forward.
Höglander has played all 21 games this season; however, he has struggled to produce offensively, scoring just two goals and three assists for five points – 14th on the team in points, tied with Tyler Myers. This is a substantial fall from a career-high 24-goal, 36-point campaign he strung together last season. His efforts last season earned him a three-year, $9 million extension with the Canucks, signed just three days before the 2024-25 season kicked off.
Vancouver drafted Höglander in the second round of the 2019 draft with the 40th overall pick. He had a successful draft season, playing 50 games for Rogle BK Angelholm in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), where he scored seven goals and seven assists for 14 points.
He would spend his draft plus-one and plus-two season with the same club in the SHL, where he scored 14 goals and 16 assists for 30 points in 64 games played before heading across the pond and joining the Vancouver Canucks for the 2020-21 season.
The Capitals have been a major surprise in the NHL this season, currently sitting third in the Metropolitan division with a 15-6-1 record with 31 points – fifth highest in the NHL. While they have a deep team, they could use Höglander’s services as a bottom-six scoring option.
The Blue Jackets are another surprising team that is having a mediocre season, considering they’ve finished last in their division in three of the previous four seasons. Columbus sits sixth in the Metropolitan division with a 9-9-3 record for 21 points – 24th in the NHL. Columbus is a very much rebuilding team, so at just 23, Höglander would fit into the team’s core nicely.
The Penguins, on the other hand, have been one of the most disappointing teams this season. Despite still having high-profile players such as Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Erik Karlsson, they currently sit dead last in the Metropolitan division with an 8-12-4 for 20 points – fifth fewest in the NHL. The Penguins are the opposite of the Blue Jackets; they really lack young talent on their roster, with just Cody Glass (25) and Philip Tomasino (23) as the only two forwards under the age of 26 in their forward group.
While no official trade request has been made, teams around the league are picking up on Höglander’s status with the team and are starting to consider the option that he could be made available if things don’t turn around in Vancouver.
