The Nashville Predators kept busy Monday, adding another depth forward as new president of hockey operations MacFarland continues to put his stamp on the roster.
This time, Nashville landed winger Nils Hoglander from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2029 NHL Draft.
Hoglander, 25, brings a track record that still hints at upside. He is only two years removed from a 24-goal season in which he shot 20%, but his most recent year was a rough one. Injuries and inconsistency cut him down to 38 games in 2025-26, and he finished with five points - two goals and three assists - on a Vancouver team that ended up dead last in the NHL.
The Swedish winger has spent his entire career with the Canucks after they selected him in the second round of the 2019 NHL Draft.
His contract still has two years left on it, with a $3 million cap hit each season. He will be eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2028.
MacFarland, who left his job as general manager of the Colorado Avalanche for the top hockey operations role in Nashville, has been active since arriving in Music City. Earlier this offseason, he made two trades with his old team, bringing in Ross Colton and Jack Drury to strengthen the Predators’ bottom six. On Sunday, he also signed Drury to a four-year extension worth $4.5 million per year.
He added more size over the weekend too, acquiring the six-foot-seven Adam Edstrom from the New York Rangers during the draft.
With unrestricted free agency opening Wednesday, Nashville has a little under $17 million in cap space, according to PuckPedia. Add that flexibility to the draft capital Barry Trotz left behind, and MacFarland has the tools to keep tinkering as he tries to help the Predators claw their way back into the Stanley Cup Playoffs after back-to-back seasons on the outside looking in.
In Other News...
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Canucks May Be Near Their Biggest Pettersson Decision Yet
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That is why the Canucks are even being linked to the idea at all: the front office may be looking for salary-cap flexibility ahead of free agency, and the longer this stretches into the summer, the tougher the calculus gets. A deal has not materialized, and while there are ways to make a trade more workable, the real issue remains whether Vancouver can find a path that makes sense without turning a major roster decision into a full-scale retreat. [Read more 🡒]