NHL Rumors: 2 Potential Landing Spots For Nils Hoglander

It was recently reported by Thomas Drance and Rick Dhaliwal that the Vancouver Canucks are considering the possibility of trading Nils Hoglander. After a solid 27-point campaign in 56 games as a rookie last season, he has just nine goals and eight assists in just as many contests this campaign. He certainly has been dealing with a "sophomore slump" but will it force Vancouver to trade him? At this time, two teams have called about him. Let's discuss them now.

Los Angeles Kings: Drance and Dhaliwal noted that the Kings are linked to Hoglander. At this juncture of the season, they have a 30-19-7 record and stand a very good shot ofat making the playoffs. This wasn't expected of them, but it's clear that they are ready to move past their rebuild. Interestingly, with Hoglander still being just 21 years old, he does fit their current young roster. If acquired by them, he could be a nice middle-six option if he rebounds.

Minnesota Wild: It has been noted that the Wild have called about Hoglander, too. This makes a lot of sense. He only carries an $891,667 cap hit until the end of next season. Why is that noteworthy? Because the buyout penalties of Ryan Suter and Zach Parise jump up to $12.7 million for next season. They will need to find good players on cheap deals, so if Hoglander bounces back, he would fit that description.

At the end of the day, there is also a lot of risk trading a player so young. With the Canucks not being contenders, they should seriously consider practicing patience with Hoglander. Time will tell if they do, however.