Nils Höglander has wasted no time making his new team look smart.
The former Canucks winger already has three goals in three games for the Nashville Predators, a total he didn’t reach until well later last season in Vancouver. He buried two more on Tuesday in an overtime loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, coming a few days after he scored the winner against the Dallas Stars.
For Predators fans, the early returns are easy to like.
Höglander’s scoring has come the same way each time: around the blue paint, where he’s been in the right place to clean up rebounds and finish the job. That kind of production is a sharp turnaround from his final stretch in Vancouver, where the goals dried up.
The 26-year-old was drafted by the Canucks in the second round in 2019 and made his NHL debut in the 2020-21 season. His best year came in 2023-24, when he scored 24 goals in 80 games and then signed a three-year, $9 million extension with Vancouver.
But the momentum didn’t last. He followed that up with eight goals in 72 games in 2024-25, then was limited by injuries for much of the 2025-26 season and scored only two goals in 38 games.
Vancouver moved on in June, sending Höglander to Nashville for a third-round pick in the 2029 NHL Entry Draft.
So far, that trade has given Höglander a fresh start - and given the Canucks plenty to watch from a distance.
Even with the early scoring burst, he hasn’t been piled on with heavy minutes in Nashville. He’s averaging 10:56 of ice time per game, which is lower than any of his seasons with the Canucks.
What he is getting is power-play time, something he didn’t have last season in Vancouver. One of his three goals has already come with the man advantage.
In Other News...
Canucks Already Have An Aatu Rty Problem To Sort Out
Aatu Rty has barely gotten a foothold to start the 2026-27 season, sitting out the first two games as a healthy scratch and averaging just 9:43 of ice time when he has dressed. Before the Canucks headed out on their road trip, he was the extra forward at Tuesdays practice, which is not exactly the kind of usage that suggests a growing role. For a young player still trying to carve out a place in the lineup, it is already a delicate spot.
The bigger issue is what comes next, because the Canucks do not have many easy options if they decide he is not fitting cleanly into their system. Rtys path to a more secure role may involve a shift to wing, but even that comes with its own challenges, and the club cannot simply tuck him away in the AHL without risking losing him on waivers. For a team that would rather keep developing depth than giving it away, that makes his situation one to watch closely. [Read more 🡒]
Senators Loss Exposed The Early Problem Fans Were Worried About
Ottawas season opener had the kind of uneven start that can follow a team for a while, especially when the first period gets away from it early. The Senators fell 5-3 to the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena, and while there were positives on the scoresheet, the broader concern was familiar: Ottawa spent too much of the game on the back foot and had to chase after a rough opening stretch.
Tim Sttzle, William Eklund and Drake Batherson each chipped in with a goal and an assist, so the offense did show life. Samuel Ersson also settled in for his first start with Ottawa and made 31 saves, but the Senators were still dealing with early pressure and penalty trouble, the sort of issues that can quickly turn a tight game into one that feels like a scramble. [Read more 🡒]
Luke Schenn Knows What This Canucks Road Trip Could Really Build
On the eve of a long road trip, Luke Schenn was talking less about matchups and more about the small routines that can hold a team together when it leaves home. The veteran Canucks defenseman has spent years around different NHL rooms, and he said the culture around bonding has changed over time, but the purpose has stayed the same: team dinners, time away from the rink and a chance for players to connect and unwind.
For Vancouver, that matters now because the next stretch will keep the group away from home long enough for those habits to matter. Schenn framed the road as a place where a team can build something beyond the standings, and the Canucks are about to find out how much of that chemistry carries through a demanding trip through Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Florida and Tampa Bay. [Read more 🡒]