Predators acquire Hoglander from Canucks for pick

New Nashville Predators president of hockey operations continues to hit the ground running, as he has made yet another move with an eye toward re-shaping the Predators’ stable of depth forwards.

The Predators announced on Monday that they have acquired winger Nils Hoglander from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2029 NHL Draft.

Hoglander, a 25-year-old Swede who is just two years removed from a 24-goal campaign in which he shot 20%, has spent his entire career with the Canucks, who chose him in the second round of the 2019 NHL Draft.

The undersized winger struggled with both production and injuries in 2025-26, as he was limited to just 38 appearances while putting up five points on two goals and three assists for a Vancouver team that finished dead last in the NHL.

Hoglander has two years left on a contract that carries a salary cap hit of $3 million per year before he will be eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2028.

MacFarland, who departed his post as general manager of the Colorado Avalanche for this elevated role in the Music City, made a pair of deals with his former team earlier in the offseason, landing Ross Colton and Jack Drury from the Avalanche to bolster his bottom six, and on Sunday, he locked Drury in to a four-year contract extension with a $4.5 million per year price tag.

The veteran executive also added size into the mix when he landed six-foot-seven forward Adam Edstrom in a deal with the New York Rangers during the draft this past weekend.

With unrestricted free agency set to open on Wednesday, the Predators have a shade under $17 million in cap space, according to PuckPedia. Between the cap room and a massive surplus of draft capital left for him by predecessor Barry Trotz, MacFarland has plenty of resources to get creative as he looks to potentially get Nashville back into the Stanley Cup Playoffs after two straight years of missing out.