Nils Höglander appears to be firmly in Rick Tocchet’s doghouse, as he was benched by the Vancouver Canucks head coach again today.
The 23-year-old forward saw just one shift in the game after Bowen Byram deked him at the Canucks blue line with 7:21 left in the second period. It didn’t result in a goal-against, but it very well could have, as Höglander was caught thinking offence before defence.
Höglander had just one shift after he got danced by Byram at the point in the second period. #Canucks pic.twitter.com/zs79eGJU5C
— Rob Williams (@RobTheHockeyGuy) November 29, 2024
Höglander went on to see a career-low 6:28 in ice time, which was well below rookies like Aatu Räty (8:26) and Max Sasson (9:32). Vancouver went on to win the game 4-3 in overtime.
Tocchet has been showing less patience for Höglander lately, as he played just 7:40 three days ago in Boston.
Höglander hasn’t been a healthy scratch yet this season, though that day might not be far away. He has just two goals in 22 games, putting him well off his 24-goal season from a year ago.
The benching comes as trade rumours surrounding Höglander are getting louder. The Swedish winger is “generating interest” in the trade market, according to ESPN’s Kevin Weekes. The Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Columbus Blue Jackets have reportedly “explored the possibility” of acquiring him.
It remains to be seen if Höglander can win over Tocchet, or if he ends up like Andrei Kuzmenko and Daniel Sprong.
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