Canucks Hit Hard by Injuries, Conor Garland Likely to Miss Road Trip

The Vancouver Canucks are facing an early-season injury crisis, with multiple key players sidelined and Conor Garland expected to miss the team’s upcoming road trip.

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Garland exited Tuesday night’s game against the New York Rangers following a heavy hit in the first period. He returned briefly in the second period but did not play in the third. Head coach Adam Foote said Garland is still being evaluated, while reporter Rick Dhaliwal of Donnie and Dhali indicated that although the injury is “not serious,” Garland likely won’t travel with the team. “That’s a big hit and he didn’t come back for the third. Early word is not serious, but obviously serious enough that he’s not going on the road trip,” Dhaliwal said.

Injuries Adding Up for the Canucks

Garland joins a long list of Canucks dealing with injuries. Captain Quinn Hughes is day-to-day with a lower-body issue, and defenseman Derek Forbort is on long-term injured reserve after playing only two games this season. Other forwards, including Filip Chytil, Teddy Blueger, Nils Hoglander, and Jonathan Lekkerimaki, are also sidelined with various injuries, while Victor Mancini was placed on injured reserve following an upper-body injury sustained against the Edmonton Oilers.

With nine players currently unavailable—the most in the NHL—Vancouver has been forced to call up several players from their AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks. The injury wave has tested the team’s depth and put additional pressure on healthy players to fill key roles on both offense and defense.

The Canucks will hope for swift recoveries, but the combination of missed time for stars like Garland and Hughes means Vancouver will have to navigate a physically demanding early schedule.

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