The Vancouver Canucks announced that they have signed 22-year-old winger Nils Hoglander to a two-year deal worth $1.1 million per season. He has been trying to work himself into a full-time NHL role and with this contract, is expected to get just that.
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After starting the 2022-23 season in the NHL with the Canucks, Hoglander only recorded nine points in 25 games, resulting in him being sent to the American Hockey League (AHL), where he finished out the season with the Abbotsford Canucks. In his time in the AHL, he recorded 32 points in 45 games and was one of the top forwards for the team during his stint.
Both Hoglander and the Canucks are hoping for a strong bounce-back season in 2023-24. The young Swedish winger had his best season to date as a rookie during the shortened 56-game season where he posted 27 points in 56 games. Since then, he has taken a step back each year, but at just 22 there is still plenty of time to return to that form.
Fitting Into the Canucks Roster
Hoglander is still one of the top young assets the Canucks have and will certainly be giving him a chance to succeed this upcoming season. With wingers like Anthony Beauvillier and Andrei Kuzmenko expected to be on the top line, that leaves the middle-six for head coach Rick Tocchet to slot him into. The future of Brock Boeser, who was being actively shopped as a salary dump ahead of the 2023 Trade Deadline, could determine where Hoglander ends up in the lineup.
While Hoglander hasn’t put up amazing numbers in any of the leagues he has played in, he has shown a ton of potential in being an effective middle-six winger in the NHL. If he can even get back to his rookie form and produce at a 40-point pace, that will be progress. The Canucks have struggled to find any consistent team success over the past few years, but there is a lot of talent on that roster. If Hoglander can find a pair of linemates to mesh well with and Tocchet puts him in a position to succeed, there is no doubt in my mind that Hoglander can rediscover the game he left behind two years ago.
The Canucks are currently over the NHL’s salary cap ceiling and will have some juggling to do, but Hoglander at $1.1 million for the next two seasons could prove to be a very valuable contract for the team moving forward. Given the fact that a top-six role is possible for Hoglander, if he can produce at that 40-point pace or higher, he could be earning a real payday at the end of this deal.