Tocchet praises Höglander's improvement after winger's return to Vancouver Canucks lineup
This season definitely hasn’t gotten the way Vancouver Canucks winger Nils Höglander would’ve liked.
Last year’s breakout star hasn’t only struggled to take another step forward, but he’s also taken a massive step backward in terms of production.
With just seven goals and 22 points in 67 games, Höglander’s counting stats are ugly. However, they hide a different story, one in which he’s improved by leaps and bounds over the course of the season and is now looking more like last year’s player.
While he was healthy scratched and nearly traded in the fall, Höglander has been one of the team’s best forwards over the past couple of months. A recent injury threatened to sideline his season, but he returned to the lineup last night and scored a goal.
“It was good seeing him,” said Tocchet about Höglander’s return. “Typical Höggy. I think he’s been playing good hockey for us the last five, six weeks.”
“He’s been working on position to get a puck. I think a lot of guys can learn from Höggy, you’ve got to move your feet and know the puck’s going to come to you before it’s coming. I think that’s where Höggy’s really improved, at the beginning of the year, he wasn’t seeing that. Now he’s seeing it. He’s coming back with speed, he’s taking the puck to the middle, he’s trying to make a play.”
“It’s always nice to play again, it sucks to be out,” added Höglander. “It felt good to get the goal there in the first period.”
The Canucks signed Höglander to a three-year extension worth a total of $9 million before this year. That contract begins next season, and with his cap hit nearly tripling, he’ll be expected to deliver more consistently. The young forward’s play over the last stretch has been very encouraging.
The Canucks season is virtually over. Their playoff chances are near zero as they face an incredible uphill climb to qualify. Likely, they will officially be mathematically eliminated from the playoff chase this week. However, that doesn’t mean they can’t use these last games as a springboard for taking things in the right direction, just as Höglander has done over the last few months.