The Vancouver Canucks have traded forward Nils Höglander to the Nashville Predators in exchange for a third-round pick. Canucks General Manager Ryan Johnson made the announcement Monday morning.

“We would like to thank Nils for his time in Vancouver, and we wish him the best with his new team Nashville,” said Johnson. “Picking up another draft pick is important for us as we continue to try and accumulate assets for our rebuild.”

The pick that the Predators sent the Canucks’ way is a 2029 third round pick, and originally belonged to the Colorado Avalanche.

The Canucks were quiet in what was a busy week for NHL trades. Prices seemed sky-high, so fans were eager to see the Canucks strike while the iron was hot. They instead stood pat, with their only trade coming on day two of the draft when they sent a 2026 sixth-round pick to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for a 2027 fifth-round pick.

Trading Höglander today marks the first move that alters the NHL roster since Ryan Johnson came on as GM, and since Daniel and Henrik Sedin took on the roles of co-Presidents of Hockey Operations.

The Canucks originally selected Höglander in the second round with the 40th overall pick at the 2019 NHL Draft.

Through 331 NHL games — all played with Vancouver — Höglander has put up 120 points (60-60-120) and 135 penalty minutes. In 45 regular season AHL games, Höglander recorded 32 points (14-18-32) and 44 penalty minutes. He also appeared in all six Calder Cup playoff games for the Abbotsford Canucks during the 2022-23 season, where he finished tied for the team lead in overall scoring with six points (3-3-6) and power play scoring with two points (1-1-2).

Höglander’s best season came in 2023-24, when he scored 24 goals, all at even strength. After a disappointing 2024-25 season, Höglander appeared poised for a bounce back after a strong showing in training camp and the preseason before he went down with a leg injury that limited him to just 28 games this past season.

Höglander has two years remaining on a three-year contract that pays him $3 million annually.

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