Canucks sign Nils Hoglander to three-year, $3 million AAV extension

The Vancouver Canucks have locked up Nils Höglander for a few more seasons. On Sunday, the team announced they have signed the forward to a three-year contract extension. The deal, set to kick in during the 2025-26 season, will carry an AAV of $3 million.

Höglander is heading into the final season of his two-year contract that he signed with Vancouver in July 2023, which has a cap hit of $1.1 million.

The payday for the 23-year-old comes after his best season with the Canucks, as Höglander is coming off a season where he proved he can be a viable asset for a playoff contender. In 80 games, he scored a career-high 24 goals and 36 points. He also played in 11 of Vancouver’s games during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, posting a goal and an assist. The Canucks were ultimately eliminated by the Edmonton Oilers in seven games in the Pacific Division Final.

Höglander was originally taken by the Canucks in the second round, 40th overall, in the 2019 NHL Draft. He would come over from his native Sweden in 2020-21 and had a great rookie season, scoring 27 points in 56 games. His production diminished a little in 2021-22, with the Rögle BK product seeing time in the American Hockey League with the Abbotsford Canucks in 2022-23.

However, his performance in 2023-24 showed what many knew about Höglander prior to him being drafted. He is an offensively-gifted player who can be reliable at both ends of the rink–something the Canucks’ brass hopes he can do for the foreseeable future.

In 221 NHL games, Höglander has scored 50 goals and 40 assists for 90 points.

Höglander has a solid resume on the international stage as well. He won bronze with Sweden at the 2018 IIHF Men’s Under-18 World Championship and 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship.

The Canucks now have 26 of a possible 50 contracts signed through the 2025-26 season.