After forward Conor Garland and his agent were given permission to seek out a trade earlier this week, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on Hockey Night in Canada that the Vancouver Canucks are hoping to clear cap space in any potential deal.
Friedman also reported that the team tried to make a move before the start of the regular season.
“Now, it’s harder to predict the timeline because teams tend to wait and see what they’ve got before making moves,” Friedman said. “So it’s tough to say when this is going to occur.”
The Columbus Blue Jackets, Nashville Predators and Winnipeg Jets are among the teams reportedly interested in Garland.
“Vancouver has indicated that its goal here is to free up about $1 million to $2 million more in cap room in any trade and prefer a defenceman in return,” Friedman said.
Garland buried his first goal of the year in the Canucks’ season-opener Wednesday against the Edmonton Oilers. He is starting his third season with Vancouver after being acquired alongside Oliver Ekman-Larsson from the Arizona Coyotes before the 2021-22 campaign.
The 27-year-old is coming off a 17-goal year in 2022-23 that saw him suit up in 81 games. Over parts of six NHL seasons, Garland has totalled 84 goals and 195 points.