Pacific Notes: Hoglander, Nutivaara, Holloway
The Canucks have received some interest in winger Nils Hoglander including from the Hurricanes in possible trade talks for Ethan Bear, CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal reports (Twitter link). However, Vancouver is making it known that they have no desire to part with the 21-year-old. Hoglander is off to a slow start this season with just one assist in five games, continuing his trend from last season where his production and role decreased. It’s understandable that teams are seeing him as a possible buy-low candidate but Vancouver certainly isn’t in a position to trade a cost-controllable young player unless they’re getting a similarly-priced young asset back. While they like Bear, he’s not in that price range at $2.2MM. Dhaliwal notes that he’s heard that Carolina is making some progress on moving the blueliner so if it’s not going to be Hoglander, Canucks GM Patrik Allvin will need to find another option that Carolina likes if they want to land him.
More from the Pacific:
- It doesn’t appear that the Sharks will be getting Markus Nutivaara back anytime soon as Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reports (Twitter link) that he has yet to resume skating as he works his way back from a lower-body injury. That injury is related to the hip one that sidelined him for all but one game last season. The 28-year-old inked a one-year, $1.5MM deal with San Jose at the beginning of free agency but it’s safe to say he’ll be waiting to make his debut for a little while longer.
- Oilers forward Dylan Holloway told reporters including Robert Tychkowski of the Edmonton Sun that he is good to go after suffering an upper-body injury last week against Buffalo. The rookie had a very limited role in his first few games and while Edmonton only has 12 forwards on the active roster at the moment (including Holloway), he’s not expected to be in the lineup tonight against St. Louis.
Vancouver Canucks Recall Nils Hoglander
The Vancouver Canucks have announced that they are recalling forward Nils Hoglander from the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks. The team has also sent down defenseman Noah Juulsen in a corresponding move, effectively reversing the roster transaction they made yesterday.
Hoglander, 21, returns to the Canucks roster having not skated in a game for the team’s AHL affiliate. Before his demotion he had played in four games this season in Vancouver and scored a goal.
Hoglander’s stock in Vancouver has declined since his impressive 27-point rookie campaign, but now he’ll have the chance to put together some positive momentum in regards to his overall career trajectory as he re-enters the Canucks’ roster picture.
For Juulsen, this move is a setback but not one that could be totally unexpected. A 2015 first-round pick, Juulsen has settled into a role as a depth defenseman who sees NHL time sporadically depending on how injured his team’s blueline is. With Quinn Hughes possibly making progress to return to the lineup after missing last night’s game with a day-to-day injury, it looks like the Canucks no longer have a need for Juulsen to take on a role on their defense at the present moment.
Canucks Assign Nils Hoglander To The Minors
For the last two seasons, Nils Hoglander was a useful secondary scorer for the Canucks. However, some added depth has pushed him down the depth chart and, for the time being at least, he’s off the roster altogether as the team announced (Twitter link) that the winger has been sent to AHL Abbotsford. Defenseman Noah Juulsen has been recalled in a corresponding move.
Hoglander had an impressive rookie campaign in 2020-21, playing in all 56 games while collecting 13 goals and 14 assists; his 27 points put him tied for fourth among all first-year players which helped him finish eighth in Calder Trophy voting. Last season, his numbers dipped a bit to ten goals and eight helpers in 60 games while also missing 21 contests due to a groin injury. Notably, his ATOI also dropped by 2:22 per contest to 13:05 per night as the 23-year-old spent a lot of time in the bottom six.
That usage continued in the early going this season as Hoglander has played in four of five games, once again logging around 13 minutes a night of ice time. Speaking with reporters including Thomas Drance of The Athletic (Twitter link), Bruce Boudreau indicated that this is a paper transaction and that they expect Hoglander back up soon with his waiver exemption making him the logical choice to shuffle down. It’s worth noting that he is 23 games away from being waiver-eligible so this won’t be an option for them for much longer.
As for Juulsen, it’s the second time in the last seven days that he has been recalled with his first stint lasting just two days although he did suit up for Vancouver in that stretch. With Quinn Hughes playing through a minor injury and Tucker Poolman not available at the moment due to injury, Juulsen gives the Canucks a bit of insurance on the back end. The 2015 first-rounder has played in 57 career NHL contests over parts of five seasons so far.