Canucks: How Conor Garland keeps trade speculation in perspective

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Conor Garland is no stranger to the business side of NHL life.

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He was traded here by the Arizona Coyotes in 2021, considered moving on two years later to ease the Vancouver Canucks’ roster and salary cap concerns, and now there is some uncertainty about his future in a city that has become his second home.

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As the Canucks consider options to accumulate more draft picks and get younger to rebuild their roster, they must decide whether Garland is expendable or dependable. The 29-year-old culture carrier is on an expiring contract without trade protection before his six-year, $36 million US extension kicks in next season.

The versatile 5-foot-8 winger is well respected, and teams like his fight and bite, but not his new contract term. And there’s the rub. You could argue with the salary cap rising from $95.5 million to $104 million and $113.5 million the next two years, annual average value of his deal becomes less of a burden.

It then becomes how he ages, and missing just two games in the previous three seasons, speaks to durability. That is putting him at ease ahead of the March 6 trade deadline. Postmedia has learned management isn’t actively shopping Garland, but would listen to offers. That’s their job.

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“I’m fortunate to have matured since my younger days here — 25 or 26 — and not let the distractions get to me and affect my game,” Garland said following Monday’s practice. “I’m older and have a family and I’m not really on my phone or watching TV with my son.

“We just kind of play mini-hockey all day and hang out. I’m very fortunate to have distractions in my life that keep it always positive, and you just leave (the speculation) at the door. I just take it day-by-day and had I found my game about three for four games before the break and felt pretty good.

“I stayed on my skates during the break and kept it going.”

Garland leads by the manner in which he approaches his craft. Dutiful and determined, he sets an example, and that’s one aspect of the Canucks’ plan that can’t get lost in the mix. There will be plenty of growing pains before they are competitive on a consistent basis. Who is going to show them the way?

Maybe we shouldn’t be surprised by the chemistry Garland has formed with linemates Liam Ohgren and Teddy Blueger. They combined for four points, eight shots and 12 attempts, plus-3 and rating and had nine points in the last two games before the break. And there may be something special brewing with Ohgren.

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“Liam is a great player,” added Garland. “He’s fast and really good through the neutral zone and has a good pull-up game. We’ve had a couple of really good practices and feel really comfortable with our line.”

However, it’s not all roses and plaudits for Garland with the league’s last-place team.

The Canucks have struggled to score, with the 29th-ranked offensive averaging just 2.54 goals per outing. Garland had a 13-game point drought and hasn’t scored in his last 18 games. He has also missed 11 games to various ailments. But that’s part of the game. It takes a toll.

At his best, Garland is that 20-goal guy who can drive your third line, kill penalties, and know his place. Not that it is always a certainty in Vancouver.

Garland appeared expendable in the fall of 2023. He changed agents and pondered whether a change of scenery would help him and the team. His cap hit was $4.95 million for three more seasons, and at the time, that was considerable for a third-line winger.

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That’s when the competitive side of Garland took over.

Despite a glut of wingers vying for roster positions, he just played and seized every day. It wasn’t easy. He buckled down, and his 20-goal campaign helped drive the Canucks to a Pacific Division title and within a victory of the Western Conference final.

Fast forward and the league is in a different place, which could work for Garland.

Speed trumps size, and smaller players are dominating. The 5-foot-8 Cole Caufield is third in NHL goals with 32, and the 5-foot-8 Alex DeBrincat has 30. They are blazing new trails at 25 and 28 years of age respectively. That’s good for the future, but what about now?

What do the Canucks need to accomplish in their remaining 25 games? Motivation could wane for impressionable younger players, and veterans know through experience that the slow slog to the end of a season gone sideways can affect body and mind.

“Form an identity,” stressed Garland. “When you’re out (of the playoffs), and in a rebuild to get younger, it’s obviously a tough time with a lot of growth and different types of experience. We have to become a better practice team and what it takes to be a pro.

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“It’s an audition. There’s lots to play for.”

OVERTIME: Brock Boeser was in a red non-contact jersey Monday. He left practice Friday and didn’t practise Saturday because he was ill and the Canucks sought the right diagnosis. He missed five games before the break with concussion symptoms on an illegal check to the head from Bryan Rust in the dying seconds of a 3-2 loss to the Penguins on Jan. 25. Rust received a three-game suspension. Canucks head coach Adam Foote said Boeser’s status was more of a viral concern that concussion related. He’s expected to transition to a regular practice jersey. Kevin Lankinen is stuck in a New York City snowstorm and won’t return from the Olympics in time to back up Nikita Tolopilo on Wednesday against Winnipeg. Jiri Patera will

be the back-up.

bkuzma@postmedia.com

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