Canucks Cannot Afford to Deal Conor Garland Amid NHL Trade Rumors
October 13, 2023
The Vancouver Canucks have given permission to Conor Garland to seek a trade, Elliotte Friedman reported.
Fittingly, it was Garland who kicked off the 2023-24 season for Vancouver by scoring the team's first goal Thursday, putting the puck past goalie Jack Campbell and igniting an 8-1 shellacking of the Edmonton Oilers.
Not only was Garland instrumental in the Canucks' attempts to erase years of slow starts to the season, but he proved why Vancouver simply cannot afford to send him packing.
Garland has always put himself second, doing what was necessary for the team to win. He is not a flashy player, is not concerned with his stat line, and with the exception of the 2019-20 season, is more likely to pass the puck to a teammate to score than to take the shot himself.
He is a starter for a Canucks team that currently has no less than five different players injured or ill, severely depleting the team's depth. It is also unlikely that the team will be able to get enough in return to replace him in the starting lineup.
Considering the dire salary cap situation Vancouver finds itself in, it makes sense that the team would be looking to offload a player or two to give itself breathing room. Garland currently counts as $4.9 million against the cap.
At what point does the desire for cap space supersede the team's ability to field a competitive team? A single injury or long-term illness for a player or two could adversely affect the squad's ability to compete, especially if the organization finds a taker for Garland and his contract.
It is a testament to the player himself that he addressed all questions about the latest rumors, managed to compartmentalize them, and kicked off the scoring the way he did against Edmonton.
In a season where the Canucks finished sixth in the Pacific Division and have hopes of returning to prominence, getting rid of a locker room leader and selfless teammate in hopes of creating breathing room for a front office that got themselves into the situation that they are currently in, feels like a misstep and one that will hurt ultimately hurt this team more than it will help.
He is not flashy, is not going to win a league scoring title, or create a ton of buzz for any team he is on, but Garland is the type of focused veteran with a desire to win and those are the players who make up the foundation of championship squads.
Something Vancouver badly wants to be for the first time since it was introduced to the NHL in 1970.