On Wednesday, it was revealed that former Vancouver Canucks prospect Cody Hodgson would be joining the Nashville Predators organization on an AHL tryout with the Milwaukee Admirals. Hodgson, 33, has been out of hockey for the last eight years.
The forgotten Canucks prospect was drafted 10th overall by Vancouver in the 2008 NHL Draft, spending two years with the Canucks before being traded to the Buffalo Sabres for... Zack Kassian and Marc-Andre Gragnani. In 71 regular season games with the Canucks, Hodgson scored 17 goals, 18 assists, and 35 points to go with a plus-9 plus-minus rating.
Hodgson did have some strong seasons in Buffalo, headlined by the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season, where he scored 15 goals, 19 assists, and 34 points in only 48 games. However, the 33-year-old only produced six goals, seven assists, and 13 points in 78 games in the 2014-15 season and was out of the hockey by the end of his age-25 season the following year.
After eight years, the former Canucks prospect has officially launched his comeback bid and, apparently, landed on his feet with the Predators - the organization for whom he last played. Hodgson's comeback comes on the heels of a comeback attempt by former top Montreal Canadiens draft pick Terry Ryan. At the age of 47, Ryan joined the Newfoundland Growlers of the ECHL this past week and played his first professional hockey game in over 20 years. Ryan played just eight NHL games for the Canadiens, scoring zero points and picking up 36 penalty minutes.
Well, with the Lotto Line still together, maybe the Canucks keep one eye on their former gem to see how he progresses. You never know; this Canucks team could use a veteran playmaking center! All jokes aside, though, we're happy to hear Hodgson is getting one last chance to make up for lost time and make peace with himself after all these years.