es without a goal for Höglander, as his last tally came all the way back on October 19th against the Philadelphia Flyers. He’s got just three assists on the season, the last of which came on November 2nd against San Jose.
Poor production aside, Höglander’s ice time has decreased all season long, and on Thursday, he was a healthy scratch for the first time this season for the Canucks’ loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.
So what’s next for Höglander and the Canucks?
To start the season, Höglander came into camp in outstanding shape, got plenty of praise from head coach Rick Tocchet, opening the season as a top six winger playing alongside Conor Garland and Elias Pettersson. While the production wasn’t necessarily there, it was undeniable that Höglander was having a positive effect on the team with his speed and tenacity.
As the season went on though, Höglander was seemingly benched at the first sign of a defensive miscue, and was subsequently moved down the lineup. It was here where Höglander really struggled to make an impact, as he was even less effective when playing in the bottom six. Many believed that it was Tocchet’s responsibility to get Höglander’s confidence back and that the best way to do that was by feeding him higher minutes once again.
So after a season-low 6:28 of ice time against the Buffalo Sabres on November 29th, Höglander moved off of the fourth line and onto the Canucks’ third line with Kiefer Sherwood and Teddy Blueger. The increased ice time and longer leash lasted seven games, but by the end of it, Höglander had no points and just five shots on goal to show for his efforts.
He appeared in just 7:48 of the Canucks’ win over the Colorado Avalanche, then 10:16 of their loss to Utah, before being a healthy scratch on Thursday in Vegas.
Given that Linus Karlsson certainly didn’t light the world on fire against Vegas, it’s likely Höglander gets back into the lineup for the Canucks’ Saturday night matchup with the Ottawa Senators. But what will Höglander do with that opportunity? The young Swede has been all but opportunistic this season, and one healthy scratching almost certainly isn’t going to turn things around.
No, realistically, it feels like Höglander’s days in Vancouver could be numbered. It’s been three coaches now that Höglander has struggled to gain the trust of. Because he scored 24 even strength goals last season, there’s likely still a certain level of intrigue from some teams around the league in trading for Höglander. Obviously, the Canucks won’t get as much in return as they would have had they traded him last season or in the offseason, but his cost certainty for three years and potential upside could be intriguing for a number of teams.
Right now, he’s certainly not a negative value asset, meaning the Canucks won’t need to attach a pick or additional sweetener just to convince a team to take him off their hands. We’re not in that Ilya Mikheyev, Andrei Kuzmenko, Tanner Pearson territory with Höglander yet. That being said, a full season of struggles and kicking off next season with similar issues could certainly see Höglander’s trade value diminish near those levels.
Which is why it’s likely that cutting their losses is the best thing the Canucks can do. At this point, it seems hard to believe that Höglander will figure his game out in Vancouver under this coach, and with the Canucks reportedly active in the trade market already, it would be a surprise at this point if Höglander is still a Canuck beyond the March 7th NHL Trade Deadline.
And that’s just something we never thought we’d be saying when he signed his extension just a couple of months ago.
