5 trade packages for Vancouver Canucks’ Conor Garland

At some point in the last 72 hours, the Vancouver Canucks have given permission to Conor Garland to talk to other NHL teams to seek a trade. Garland, 27, has changed his representation over that time frame – presumably to help facilitate a move that sends him to a favorable landing spot.

In classic Canucks fashion, the biggest obstacle left to clear is Garland’s $4.95 million cap hit that either they or another team will be stuck with for another three seasons, including this one. The veteran winger does not have any movement or trade clauses in his contract, so at least that helps.

A variety of teams could use the services of a great two-way middle-six winger, but few would be ready to commit to a large contract with no clear indications of a salary cap increase. Conversely, the Canucks can soften the blow for their trade partner by acquiring a need of their own, such as a right-shot defenseman.

The following five proposals in this exercise give Vancouver an out for Garland, whilst also helping them on the ice with some immediacy.

#5. Canucks relieve some Blue Jackets bloat

So, the Canucks desperately need help on the right side of their defense, and they need more talent on the blueline in general. At the moment, the supremely talented Adam Boqvist is the odd man out in Columbus with the Blue Jackets instead committing to Andrew Peeke, Erik Gudbranson, and premier offseason addition Damon Severson.

By eating a little over $1 million and offering a failing prospect, the Canucks get that help without compromising any draft capital. From there, Vancouver can keep Filip Hronek next to Quinn Hughes and allow Boqvist to drive play next to Carson Soucy when he’s finally healthy.

#4. Canucks help the Rangers get older and wiser

At this point, it’s not an NHL season (or offseason) without Alexis Lafreniere trade speculation. The 2020 No. 1 overall pick hasn’t lived up to his draft status, nor has he been given the on-ice resources to do so.

The New York Rangers have less than $1 million in cap space, so they’ll need some help from the Canucks to make this work. Let’s call a spade a spade – if the Rangers want to continue contending, they need someone they can rely on, and Lafreniere hasn’t been that.

The 22-year-old did not record a point in their seven-game Round 1 loss to the New Jersey Devils, and the Canucks can instead offer the Metropolitan Division heavyweight a forward with a history of producing in a middle-six role. Garland is the kind of player that just fits the Rangers’ identity on the ice, and he’ll also provide a sense of security.

For the Canucks, it’s about taking a big gamble on a player that has a path to a huge opportunity next to Elias Pettersson and Andrei Kuzmenko. If Lafreniere can’t cut it next to those two, well, nothing changes and Vancouver is back to square one.

#3. Ducks turn to Canucks for help

The Anaheim Ducks have been one of the worst teams in hockey for some time now, and there’s a reason for that. They just lack talent all over the ice, and scooping up Garland for the low can immediately help alleviate the pressure on their young stars.

The Ducks are one of the few teams that can afford to take on Garland right away, and they’ll be fine in the future when Ilya Lyubushkin and Jakob Silfverberg’s contracts will expire. The Ducks also have three third-round picks in the 2024 draft, so they shouldn’t really be opposed to losing a fourth here.

Likewise, the Canucks will be happy to acquire their third fourth-round pick in the upcoming draft whilst being able to move that salary for peanuts. There’s no guarantee Anaheim are actively trying to improve on their basement-dweller status, but it also wouldn’t make sense to continuously throw their top prospects to the wolves and stunt their growth.

#2. Canucks swap offense for defense

For some strange reason, the Nashville Predators are not playing right-shot defenseman Dante Fabbro to start the season and have instead opted to make him a healthy scratch. Preds fans are already clamoring for the former first-round pick to be reinstated in the starting lineup, and the Canucks should cash in while they still can.

Nashville currently has a little under $8 million in cap space, and they’ll soon need to re-sign important pending free agents like young stars Phil Tomasino and Juuso Parssinen. On the other hand, Tyson Barrie and Alexandre Carrier – who are both ahead of Fabbro on the right side of that defense – are both pending free agents as well.

Simply put, the Preds cannot keep everyone, and the pending RFA Fabbro is no exception. Garland comes at a fixed price for three more years, and would easily be an upgrade in their middle-six over the likes of Kieffer Sherwood.

By buying low on Fabbro, the Canucks can address a need immediately by slotting the 25-year-old into their top-four. Fabbro only makes $2.5 million this year, so Vancouver also makes a little bit of breathing room for themselves – for now.