Welcome Matt: Canucks shouldn't sell low on Nils Höglander

As we discussed the week to come for the Vancouver Canucks, the name Nils Höglander kept coming up.

Once a prized rookie who had the makings of a middle-six fixture, the third-year pro is now at an NHL crossroads after ending last season on the injured list with just 18 points in 60 games.

Is he going to make the team? Is he better served in Abbotsford playing first-line minutes and power play? Is he trade bait?

Possibilities abound for the pugnacious Swede, including fourth-line duty or a trade. It’s why we are asking on our poll question whether the Canucks should deal him for Carolina right-side defenceman Ethan Bear.

Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre reports the Canucks are kicking tires on Bear.

I’m voting “no” on the poll because I’d rather bet on a Höglander bounce back than on Bear, whose career similarly sagged in Carolina last year. Besides, Bear costs $2.2 million and would have to improve significantly to earn his qualifying offer next summer.

All it takes is one injury and Höglander could well crack the Canucks’ top-nine heading into the regular season opener. But it could also be the case that coach Bruce Boudreau and this new management group doesn’t believe in the player, and sees him as a trade chip.

If the Canucks do choose to move him on, they’ll be selling low on a guy who doesn’t turn 22 til December, and may well factor in the future. I’d understand if they make a deal for a defenceman — because this management group has done little to fix that weaknesses — but I’d have my reservations.

The next few weeks will be a great test for Höglander’s competitiveness, and for the new coaching staff and braintrust who need to rehabilitate a past asset.