Nils Höglander’s run in Vancouver is over.
The Canucks sent the winger to the Nashville Predators on Thursday, with new general manager Ryan Johnson landing a 2029 third-round draft pick in the deal. It’s Johnson’s first trade since taking over, and it fits the tone he set earlier in the day when he made it clear he wasn’t interested in simply running back the same roster.
“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.”
Höglander, a second-round pick by Vancouver in 2019, spent seven years in the organization and once looked like one of the club’s better value finds. The Bocktrask, Sweden native reached the NHL at 21 and put up 27 points in 56 games during the 2020-21 season. His best year came in 2023-24, when he set career highs with 24 goals and 36 points.
Since then, the production has fallen off hard. Höglander’s goal total dropped to eight in 2024-25, then to two last season, though he appeared in only 38 games.
Johnson had already hinted Thursday morning that change was coming. Speaking to reporters at Rogers Arena, he said, “I don’t want to just sit with the same group.
I think by even small changes, you add a different energy and excitement,” and added, “Do I want to keep rolling it back with the same? Preferably not.”
Höglander is now entering the second year of a three-year contract with a $3-million cap hit. That number has been seen as a tough fit for the kind of output he’s delivered, even as the rising salary cap and a thin free-agent market leave teams with fewer appealing options this summer.
In Other News...
Manny Malhotras First Canucks Lines Hint At One Lingering Problem
Manny Malhotras first crack at shaping the Canucks forward group offers an early look at how much this roster could still change before training camp. The projections are built around last seasons roles and production, with the idea that a new coach will try to keep the most effective pieces together while sorting out the depth chart underneath them. It is the kind of early lineup sketch that tells you more about the teams priorities than its final form, and right now the priorities are pretty clear: balance, experience and a little more edge.
Brendan Gallagher is part of that conversation after arriving and saying the right things, but the bigger question is whether he can still consistently swing games after a seven-goal season in Montreal. The same goes for the rest of the supporting cast, because the Canucks still look like a team that could use another veteran center and another forward who brings some physicality in free agency. Those additions would not just round out the bottom six, they would also help answer the one lingering issue this lineup preview keeps circling back to. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks Are Betting On One Risky Free Agency Approach
Ryan Johnson is heading into NHL free agency with a clear template for the Canucks: add veteran players with strong character, enough bite to help the younger defensemen, and a physical edge that fits the roster better. Vancouver also has the cap room to be active, but the preference sounds more measured than splashy, with short-term commitments and an eye toward players who could still carry value later.
A.J. Greer, Colton Scissons, Boone Jenner and Kevin Stenlund are among the names being discussed as fits for that approach, and the Canucks are also weighing whether there is room for another familiar face to come back into the fold. If those additions start to stack up, the next question becomes how Vancouver creates the necessary space, especially with several established pieces already in the mix as possible trade candidates. [Read more 🡒]
Former Flame Troy Stecher Lands Another NHL Opportunity
Troy Stecher has found another NHL landing spot, agreeing to a two-year deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs as he continues a career that has taken him through seven teams and into his 10th season in the league. For a player who built his reputation in Vancouver as a reliable, undersized defenseman with a steady edge, the latest contract is another sign that he still has a place in a league that keeps asking him to adapt.
Stecher sounded pleased with the arrangement and also clear-eyed about where his game sits now. He said he wants to sharpen his offensive touch without giving up the defensive details that have kept him around this long, a familiar balancing act for a veteran trying to stay useful as the league changes around him. [Read more 🡒]