The Vancouver Canucks continued their slate of preseason games on Wednesday night. Vancouver took on the Calgary Flames as they prepared for the upcoming regular season. Unfortunately, the night took a bit of a turn, as Nils Hoglander could not finish the game.
The former second-round pick scored in the win over the Flames on Wednesday. In fact, he opened the scoring for both sides. He slotted home a rebound off a shot from the point to make it a 1-0 game.
Later in the game, though, Hoglander suffered an injury. It’s not clear when the 24-year-old suffered the injury. However, Vancouver did announce he would not return to the contest shortly after he left.
Following the game, head coach Adam Foote was asked about Hoglander’s status. The immediate update was nothing concrete, unfortunately. The Canucks bench boss did confirm that he suffered a lower-body injury, though.
“Lower body. They are going to evaluate it when they get back. We’ll find out (more) tomorrow when he docs see him. Hopefully it’s not going to be too much. We’ll see,” Foote said in a clip shared on Vancouver’s official website.
Nils Hoglander Entering Important Season
The Canucks drafted Hoglander with the 40th overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. He made his NHL debut during the 2021-22 campaign. That year, he scored 13 goals and 27 points in 56 games.
Since then, his production has fluctuated a bit. He did not reach the 20-point mark again until 2023-24, when he reached a career-high of 36. The 2023-24 season also saw him surpass 20 goals for the first time, as he scored 24 times that year.
Unfortunately, he did not perform to his level best a year ago. He scored just eight goals for the Canucks in 2024-25. He did finish with 25 points, but the drop in goal scoring was certainly quite concerning.
Last October, Hoglander signed a three-year contract extension with Vancouver. Still, this is a rather important season for the 24-year-old. Bouncing back offensively could cement his place in the Canucks’ long-term plans. And it could set up another potential pay rise down the line on his next contract.
Canucks’ Hoglander Should Play Key Role
Hoglander should receive prime opportunities to show he can perform. He won’t play on the first line, considering Jake DeBrusk and Brock Boeser are ahead of him in that department. However, he could carve out a middle-six contributing role.
The 24-year-old is competing with Evander Kane, Jonathan Lekkerimaki, and Conor Garland for a spot on the second line wing. Considering his age and potential, he certainly has a case for beating out the veterans Kane and Garland.
However, this is certainly not set in stone. Kane has experience working as a second-line winger. Meanwhile, Garland can provide value in areas other than offense. It’s not an impossible race, but it wasn’t an easy one, either.
Of course, all of this depends on Hoglander’s health. Hopefully, he avoided a serious injury and can return to the ice soon. In the meantime, Canucks fans should keep a close eye out for a more concrete injury update on Thursday.