The Pittsburgh Penguins find themselves in an unusual position as trade discussions heat up for the 2024-25 season. While they are expected to be sellers at the trade deadline, the Penguins aren’t keen on acquiring draft picks. Instead, they are focused on bringing in young NHL talent, and they’re open to taking on reclamation projects.
This strategy has led Elliotte Friedman to connect Montreal Canadiens forward Kirby Dach to the Penguins, but he also mentioned another potential target. On the latest episode of the 32 Thoughts Podcast, Friedman suggested the Penguins might be eyeing Vancouver Canucks forward Nils Hoglander.
Like Dach, Hoglander is a young player with significant potential but has struggled to find consistent success with his current team. “He’s going through it right now in Vancouver,” Friedman said. “He’s struggling to get ice time. I think there are some teams that are very interested, and Pittsburgh makes a lot of sense.”
Drafted 40th overall by the Canucks in the second round of the 2019 NHL Draft, Hoglander has yet to fully live up to expectations. In 244 career games, he has recorded 52 goals and 43 assists for 95 points. While not a bad player, Hoglander is coming off a 24-goal season in 2023-24, which could make him an appealing target.
Friedman believes Hoglander fits the mold of the players Pittsburgh has been pursuing recently. “You look at the players that Pittsburgh is collecting. Hoglander fits it,” he noted.
The Penguins have already made moves to acquire young talent this season, including trading for Philip Tomasino, and adding Cody Glass and Rutger McGroarty during the offseason. While McGroarty was part of a top prospect exchange, Glass and Tomasino were both looking for a fresh start to revitalize their careers.
With Hoglander’s untapped potential, he could be the next player the Penguins target to add to their growing roster of young talent. The Penguins aren’t the only team showing interest, however. ESPN’s Kevin Weekes also named the Washington Capitals and Columbus Blue Jackets as potential suitors for the forward.