The Vancouver Canucks knew depth was going to be tested at some point this season. They just didn’t expect it to be this soon.
Nils Hoglander, who quietly carved out a role as an energetic middle-six piece, suffered an injury during the second period of a 3-1 preseason win against the Calgary Flames on Sept. 24. Although the extent of the injury was not immediately known, it was reported on Monday that Hoglander underwent surgery for a lower-body injury and will be out for 8-10 weeks, leaving a hole that’s trickier to fill than it looks on paper.
Hoglander wasn’t just a plug-and-play winger — he brought pace, pressure, and a bit of scoring touch that stabilized Vancouver’s forward groups. In a lineup top-heavy on stars and thin on reliable depth, his absence stretches things uncomfortably.
For general manager Patrik Allvin, the question isn’t whether Hoglander can be replaced internally — the answer there is a clear no — but whether it’s time to explore a market solution. And if there’s a fit out there, the best one might just be wearing a Toronto Maple Leafs sweater.
Toronto Has Been Open to Trade Discussions Involving Nick Robertson
Nick Robertson’s story in Toronto has been frustratingly stop-and-go. He entered the league with hype as a second-round steal and a pure scorer, but injuries and an inconsistent role buried him behind the Leafs’ forward core. After finally settling some of the uncertainty this summer with a one-year restricted free agent deal, his future in Toronto still looks murky.
The Athletic recently broke down Robertson’s three possible paths: carve out a role in Toronto, get moved for help elsewhere, or drift back into AHL purgatory. And despite being just 24 and still holding legitimate upside, the latter two scenarios seem more likely by the day. The Maple Leafs have been listening on a handful of depth forwards, and reports indicate that multiple teams have kicked tires on Robertson specifically.
Toronto has its reasons. The winger has flashed scoring ability in bursts — 14 goals in a limited role two seasons ago, 15 last year — but the Leafs’ forward mix is crowded, and he doesn’t have the trust of head coach Craig Berube the way other role players do. That makes Robertson a bit of a luxury piece, and luxuries don’t last long when you’re pressed against the cap and short on draft capital.
This is where Vancouver enters the picture.
Toronto Forward Nick Robertson Could Ease Canucks’ Loss of Nils Hoglander
The Leafs currently hold one of the league’s thinnest pick supplies for the 2026 draft, the price of years of chasing contention. As The Hockey News noted, Robertson’s trade value has dipped compared to his prospect peak, but it’s still healthy enough that Toronto could fetch something meaningful — like a second-round pick — for him.
For the Leafs, that’s a deal worth considering. Robertson isn’t an untouchable, he isn’t a core piece, and turning him into a draft asset resets a pipeline that’s been drying up. The insider chatter has been consistent: if Toronto moves him, the goal is replenishment, not an NHL-for-NHL swap.
From Vancouver’s side, the fit is almost too neat. Hoglander’s absence leaves a hole in the exact tier of the lineup where Robertson could slot. He’s cheap, under team control, and still carries enough upside to be more than just a stopgap.
A second-round pick is a fair price. It’s not insignificant, but it’s also not franchise-breaking. And for a Canucks team that needs to support Elias Pettersson with actual depth scoring if they’re going to make playoff noise, the move adds both short-term insurance and a longer-term upside play.
Robertson doesn’t need to be a star in Vancouver — he just needs to be the player Hoglander was becoming: reliable, energetic, and occasionally game-breaking. And if he blossoms into more, all the better.
Hoglander’s injury was a gut punch, but it also presents an opportunity. Instead of patching the hole with AHL call-ups, the Canucks could swing at a player who fits the age group of their core and still has runway left.
Toronto needs picks. Vancouver needs a forward. On paper, it looks like one of those rare trade fits that actually makes sense for both sides.
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