The Vancouver Canucks aren’t wasting any time reshaping their roster.
After making nine selections at the 2026 NHL Draft over the weekend, the club completed two trades Monday morning as new general manager Ryan Johnson continues to put his stamp on the franchise ahead of NHL free agency, which opens Wednesday.
The first move saw Vancouver trade winger Nils Höglander to the Nashville Predators in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2029 NHL Draft, originally belonging to the Colorado Avalanche.
“We would like to thank Nils for his time in Vancouver and we wish him the best with his new team Nashville,” Johnson said in a statement.
“Picking up another draft pick is important for us as we continue to try and accumulate assets for our rebuild.”
Höglander was originally selected by Vancouver in the second round, 40th overall, in the 2019 NHL Draft. Over five seasons with the Canucks, the 24-year-old appeared in 331 NHL games, recording 60 goals and 120 points.
Just a short time later, Vancouver announced its second trade of the morning, acquiring veteran forward Brendan Gallagher from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for future considerations.
The Canadiens will also retain 50 per cent of Gallagher’s $6.5-million salary during the final year of his contract.
Johnson said Gallagher brings exactly the type of leadership the Canucks were looking to add.
“Brendan is a quality individual and a very good hockey player,” he said. “We love the way he competes and leads by example. Bringing in veterans like Brendan will help us set the standard for our younger guys to follow.”
Johnson also highlighted Gallagher’s ties to the Lower Mainland.
“We are excited to add someone who has ties to the Lower Mainland, wants to be here with the Canucks and knows firsthand how passionate and knowledgeable our hockey market is in Vancouver. This is an important acquisition for our hockey club.”
Gallagher, 34, spent his entire NHL career with Montreal, appearing in 911 regular season games while recording 246 goals and 487 points. He also played in 79 playoff games, helping the Canadiens reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2021 and the Eastern Conference Final this past season.
Before making the jump to the NHL, Gallagher became a fan favourite with the Vancouver Giants, where he still holds the franchise records for goals (136) and points (280).
The pair of trades come just days after the Canucks wrapped up one of the busiest drafts in recent franchise history.
Vancouver selected nine players over the weekend, highlighted by Caleb Malhotra with the third overall pick. The selection turned heads across the hockey world as Caleb is the son of newly hired Canucks head coach Manny Malhotra.
The Canucks also selected Adam Novotný in the first round before adding Brooks Rogowski, Niklas Aaram-Olsen, Dmitri Ivchenko, Yaroslav Bryzgalov, Connor Davis, Lucian Bernat and Samuel Eriksson.
During the sixth round, Vancouver also acquired an additional fifth-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft from the Toronto Maple Leafs.
With the draft complete and two trades already made Monday, the Canucks appear far from finished as attention now turns to Wednesday’s opening of NHL free agency.
💬 Join the conversation
No comments yet — be the first to start the conversation
