We’re burning the midnight oil here. Just after the clock struck midnight on the East Coast, reports surfaced that the Columbus Blue Jackets had acquired winger Conor Garland from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for a couple of draft picks. Here are the full details:
Blue Jackets acquire:
Canucks acquire:
- 2026 3rd-round pick
- 2028 2nd-round pick
Garland has totaled just seven goals and 26 points in 49 games for the Canucks this season, but his underlying metrics have been decent. He will give the Blue Jackets some more scoring pop in their middle six, but there are some meaningful long-term ramifications in acquiring him.
Garland Comes With His Risks
The Blue Jackets have been white hot since Rick Bowness took over as head coach, so it’s not a surprise that GM Don Waddell is a buyer, even though they still have some catching up to do in the standings.
At his best, Garland is a solid middle-six winger with play-driving ability. It hasn’t happened this season with the Canucks, but he’s moving to a better environment with the Blue Jackets. His playmaking ability, which is his strength, should be utilized more effectively alongside players like Kirill Marchenko and Adam Fantilli, among others.
Despite his size, 5-foot-10, 165 pounds, Garland is one of the more effective forecheckers in the NHL. He’s a pest and is not afraid to play a style of game that will get under his opponent’s skin. However, if there’s a flaw in his game, it’s that he’s not exactly a high-end finisher. He’s shooting just 6.8 percent this season, which is below his career average of 10.3 percent, but don’t expect more than 15-20 goals per season from him.
The Garland acquisition makes sense from an on-ice perspective for the Blue Jackets, but there are some major concerns about how this will affect the team’s cap situation down the road.
Garland recently signed a six-year extension that does not kick in until July 1. It comes with a no-move clause and has a $6 million cap hit. The cap hit may not be the worst with the salary cap projected to rise over the next couple of years, but his extension does not project to age all that well:
That’s probably part of why the Blue Jackets only gave up second- and third-round picks to acquire him, but they should be concerned about how his contract projects to age. It may not be easy to move him, either, since he’ll have a no-move clause for the first few years of his extension. That makes this move a mixed bag for the Blue Jackets because Garland’s contract seems like the type they should be avoiding, given where they are as an organization.
Blue Jackets Grade: C+
Canucks Net a Modest Return But Gain Cap Flexibility
I am a bit surprised the Canucks pulled the trigger on just second and third-round picks for Garland. He was one of their better trade chips, and there’s no doubt that it’s been a seller’s market up to this point. The rationale for the Canucks must have been that they wanted to trade him before the no-move clause kicked in, and it would have been more difficult to do so around the NHL Draft in June. Just take what you can get for him now and move on.
Related: 2026 NHL Trade Deadline Tracker
At the very least, it gives the Canucks more roster and cap flexibility as they begin their rebuild, and getting out of that contract is a plus. I suppose you could say they won the deal, even though the return for one of their better trade chips was modest. We’ll see if they have any more trades in the works before the 3 PM deadline today (March 6).
Canucks Grade: B
