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Predators Complete Trade With Canucks
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- Predators Complete Trade With Canucks
The Nashville Predators have been going extremely aggressively with their offseason house cleaning under new general manager Chris MacFarland, and it doesn't seem to be stopping.
Earlier today, he swung a deal with the Vancouver Canucks to bring in 25-year-old winger Nils Höglander for a 2029 third-round draft pick.
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It's the typical buy-low, swing-big gamble. Höglander had an injury-ridden season , starting it with a preseason surgery that sidelined him until December and produced just five goals and one assist in 38 games.
He never quite got settled in the highly dysfunctional Vancouver lineup, with a constant rotation in and out of the scratching lineup and dwindled playing time.
However, the Predators are not acquiring the 2023-24 version of Höglander, but rather the player who scored 24 goals—all at even strength—two seasons ago.
The 5'9" winger plays with a ton of energy, has a high motor, and has a relentless forecheck that made him an absolute nightmare for opponents along the wall last year and this year. The contract is extremely affordable at $3 million with two seasons remaining, meaning the Predators have acquired a reclamation project that has a high-impact middle-six potential for a future draft pick in five seasons.
