Canucks Won Conor Garland Trade With Blue Jackets
On March 6th, 2026, the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Vancouver Canucks swapped forward Conor Garland for draft picks. In the package for Garland, the Blue Jackets sent a third-round pick in 2026 and a second-round pick in 2028.
The Blue Jackets received Garland and were eager for him to start producing at the clip we'd seen him do in the past in Vancouver. Garland's best season as a Canuck was in 2021-22, recording 52 points (19 goals, 33 assists) in 77 games.
He'd been a fixture in the team's top-nine during his tenure, and had a knack for getting in the dirty areas with his smaller frame, at 5-foot-10 and 175 pounds.
But since he'd been sent to Columbus, the magic surrounding Garland's production has seemingly dried up, as the last time he put up 50 points was in 2024-25.
The following season, he caught the injury bug and was out often enough to miss 27 games due to undisclosed injuries, illness, and an upper-body injury in November 2025.
He recorded 30 points (9 goals, 21 assists) in a year that saw his production decline significantly under head coach Rick Bowness.
2026-27 isn't looking any better for him either:
From @Aportzline ... "Conor Garland, 30, has yet to register a point this season. In fact, he’s gone a career-long 26 games without a goal and a career-long 20 games without a point." Garland is in the first year of a six-year deal at $6 million per year.
— NHL Rumors (@NHLrumorsX) November 3, 2026
Garland is on a massive point drought, going 12 games this season without a point, and according to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic, a career-long dry spell of 26 games without a goal and 20 without a point.
The Canucks Won The Trade
This season, Garland has been held scoreless in 12 games, while the Canucks received draft assets in return, including 2nd and 3rd round picks in 2026 and 2028.
While the return for the Canucks won't be immediate, they've cast off a player who was given a $6 million AAV deal by former GM Patrik Allvin, and could package those picks at the draft, or at the deadline, for better, younger options down the road.
Garland at one point in his career did make the Canucks a better organization, but like many veterans in a rebuilding organization, it's best to trade them for what you can get.