Just a day after re-signing forward Jack Drury to a five-year, $22.5 million deal, Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager Chris MacFarland went out and secured another forward, this time being winger Nils Hoglander from the Vancouver Canucks.
MacFarland announced today that he acquired the 25-year-old at the cost of the Colorado's 2029 third-round pick that was acquired in the Drury trade. It is the fourth player trade the recent hire has made with the Predators, and it could potentially be one of his best.
"We are excited to add Nils Hoglander to our mix,” MacFarland said in a press release. “He is a 25-year-old experienced winger who is known for his relentless, high-energy style of play, bringing a consistent motor to the lineup night after night. We believe the player can come in and have a key role."nashvillepredators.com
Hoglander was drafted 40th overall in 2019 by the Canucks, playing 331 regular season games with the franchise, registering 60 goals and 60 points. He scored a career-high 24 goals in the 2023-24 season, shooting with 20% accuracy. In the seasons that followed, he's experienced a stat slump, only scoring five points in 38 games with Vancouver in 2025-26. Now under a new organization, the Predators hope to revive the 5-foot-9 winger back to a consistent scorer.
Hoglander adds youthful energy and speed to Predators bottom-six core
With MacFarland's hiring, it's become clear that age is a factor in every move. He's made it clear that there is an age range the organization will be interested in pursing, and his recent moves hint that it's the mid-20s. In Hoglander's case, he is one of the youngest newest pieces to the team. Known for his motor and overall energy put into the game, he is expected to be a solid add.
He wins battles below the goal line and quickly finds linemates to create plays. He has excellent vision and can quickly slip through traffic without any issues. Using his slick hands, he deceives defenders by making them think he's shooting in one place, when in reality he's shooting elsewhere. Despite his small frame, he's hard to knock off the puck. This makes him a valuable asset to both his linemates, but the entire organization as a whole, which ranks 18th in league giveaways last season with 1108.
In terms of the money, Hoglander honestly has a steal of a deal. He is entering the second year of his three-year, $9 million deal worth $3 million AAV. Considering his history, it could honestly be one of the best contracts the Predators have in the system.
One question that lies with his acqusition, and MacFarland's previous ones, is how will the rookies and youngsters fit in the lineup. With Hoglander in the mix, the Predators top three lines could potentially be locked up.
Forsberg, Ryan O'Reilly, Evangelista
Stamkos, Wood, Marchessault
Colton, Drury, Hoglander
Remaining three forwards
Drury will likely be a center for the Predators with his faceoff history. With the three, Drury, Ross Colton and Hoglander all being left-handed, it leaves an interesting situations at hand. Realistically, Colton or Hoglander can play the bottom line, or even push Drury to the fourth in return for a Brady Martin or Aiden Fink.
Whether or not a player gets traded beyond the bottom six or not, there will definetely be a handful of juggling in the lineup to allow the prospects to come up and grow. It should be an interesting couple of weeks for the Predators as we potentially see the acquisition of more talent.
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