Nils Hoglander

Last Season

Two goals and three assists in 38 games — five points, minus-four, at 11:31 a night with eight penalty minutes. His five-on-five work was done in Vancouver.

The Finesse Game

Almost nothing arrived. Sixty-three unblocked attempts, two goals, median 25 feet with 40 per cent from inside twenty — decent ice and no finish at all.

Sixty goals in 331 career games says he can score, and he had a twenty-four goal season two years ago. Five points in 38 games is a collapse rather than a level.

The Physical Game

Five foot nine and 185 pounds, and he plays a scrappy, low-to-the-ice game built on being hard to knock over. Eight penalty minutes in 38 games.

He goes to the net front at his size, which is admirable and is where a good deal of his best scoring came from.

The Intangibles

Forty-three per cent of the expected goals, seventh percentile, with the goals 8-21 against across 425 minutes. That is the worst forward mark of anyone joining this club.

The shot-attempt share of 49.3 per cent, 48th percentile, is far healthier, which says his line had the puck and did nothing dangerous with it.

He is 25, a second-round pick, and two seasons removed from twenty-four goals. Nashville is buying the rebound cheaply. On this evidence there is a real player in there and last season was not him.