Canucks Trying to Get Out From Under Conor Garland’s Contract

Harman Dayal of The Athletic notes that the Vancouver Canucks would like to trade Conor Garland’s contract. He writes that while Garland had a productive first season with the Canucks, he’s fallen out of favor with the current management group. Saying, “the new front office isn’t nearly as fond of the undersized winger as the last administration,” it sounds like trading Garland will become a priority headed into this year’s NHL Trade Deadline.

The reason isn’t only that the Canucks aren’t sure if Garland is a player they see as part of their future, but they’ve got other deals that need that require attention. He notes the Canucks have a lot of money tied up in forwards and with a huge contract potentially coming for Andrei Kuzmenko. He writes that he’s “due for a mammoth raise from his ELC” and notes, “Garland’s contract is one the club would surely like to wriggle out of.”

The issue is actually trading that deal without taking on retained salary or another contract back. Garland has three more seasons with a $4.95 million cap hit remaining on his deal. It’s not an insane overpay considering he’s produced 8 goals and 21 points in 41 games, but that’s not exactly the kind of production that will have teams jumping to take on his salary when money is hard to come by.

Other Moves The Canucks are Looking At

Dayal adds that the Canucks are shopping Tyler Myers’ deal as well and he wonders if management has an appetite to dump J.T. Miller’s contract. Miller signed a huge extenstion just four months ago and the team is likely to lose Bo Horvat if they can’t find a way to offload some of the financial commitments they’ve made to players like Miller who are underproducing based on what he’s being paid. Dayal writes, “It seems like a long shot.”

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