NHL Rumors: New Canucks Trade Candidate Emerging
Insider chatter on Donnie & Dhali says Vancouver is receiving trade calls on the 25-year-old winger, who has been stuck in a fourth-line rut and looks like a prime change of scenery candidate if the front office leans harder into its hybrid reset.
Why Hoglander’s Canucks fit is getting shaky
The numbers are doing him no favors right now.
After missing the first two months following preseason ankle surgery, Hoglander returned on December 8 vs. the Detroit Red Wings and has just two assists in his first 16 games, while averaging about 11:42 a night, which is a career low.
Rick Dhaliwal: Nils Hoglander is a name out there right now, teams are calling on him; this kid might need a change of scenery - Donnie & Dhali (1/14)
— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) January 18, 2026
He’s also been in and out of the lineup as a healthy scratch, and the bigger issue is the pattern, because he has now had multiple coaches in Vancouver struggle to fully trust his all-around game.
Even with the $3 million cap hit on a three-year, $9 million deal, teams will still call because if you can put him in a different role with a steadier leash, you might unlock the player who once popped.
The change-of-scenery case, and what still makes him interesting
The selling point is that Hoglander has already shown he can finish at the NHL level.
He was a second-round pick (40th overall) in 2019, and in 2023-24 he broke out with 24 goals and 36 points in 80 games, including 24 even-strength goals.
Just a beautiful move from Nils Hoglander! 😍@HyundaiCanada Electric Goal of the Week pic.twitter.com/iL3enquEOt
— NHL (@NHL) March 29, 2024
Since then, it has been a steady slide, with eight goals and 25 points in 72 games last season, followed by this season’s slow restart after the injury. The Canucks can point to effort and some underlying signs of life, though.
Reports have him among Vancouver’s better possession forwards since returning, sitting around 52.94% CF% at five-on-five, with a noticeable ability to create chances even when the box score stays quiet.
That’s the hook for other clubs, because a winger with that motor and that past finishing touch can look a lot different when he is not stapled to a bottom-six role on a team struggling for offense.
Photo Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
