Canucks' Höglander ready for more minutes after Beauvillier trade
Vancouver Canucks forward Nils Höglander has been a great example that progression isn’t always linear. After a great rookie season, the Swedish winger spent two years struggling to find his game at the NHL level, even spending the majority of last season in the AHL.
Through the first quarter of this year, Höglander has completely flipped the script. He’s done a great job at leaving those struggles in the past and is playing some of his best hockey as a Canuck.
However, he’s playing just an average of 10:35 per game, the lowest of any team member who has appeared in more than five games. He also has yet to be granted a spot on any of the Canucks’ power-play units.
If Höglander continues to keep up this level of play, it won’t be long before he’s forcing his way into a bigger role. The departure of Anthony Beauvillier means that there are more minutes available on the wings and it’s the 5-foot-9 Swedish forward that is proving he deserves them.
He’s got seven goals and three assists for 10 points in 21 games, and is third in the NHL in goals per-60-minutes at five-on-five, just ahead of Connor Bedard.
Höglander's stick stays HOT 🔥
Points in FIVE straight games for Nils! pic.twitter.com/ZPmYKJkAsU
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) November 25, 2023
With Höglander on the ice at five-on-five, the Canucks are outscoring opponents 14-3. That’s the best ratio of any team member and the second-best mark of any player in the NHL. His overall impact has been very positive.
He’s not only scoring at an incredible rate, but he also has been showing off a mean streak. While sometimes he can cross the line such as with his recent slew foot, this devastating hit on the Seattle Kraken’s Brandon Tanev is a great example of an effective clean, physical play.
Brandon Tanev was ruled out for the remainder of the Kraken vs. Canucks game following this hit. pic.twitter.com/Wr3KmYN5FG
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) November 25, 2023
Considering he costs just $1.1 million against the cap after signing an extension last summer, Höglander represents one of the best chances for the Canucks to get a bargain. If he can play like a $3-4 million player, that would give the team a huge amount of surplus value on his contract.
While there’s some tough competition now that Beauvillier is out of the fold, if Höglander continues to perform like this, it will become impossible to deny him a larger opportunity.
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