Early Conor Garland destinations before 2026 NHL Trade Deadline

The Vancouver Canucks are headed into a rebuild after trading captain Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild. That means everyone with any trade value should be shopped at the upcoming NHL trade deadline. Conor Garland was given a massive contract extension, but the Canucks should be looking to trade him before the deadline. Which teams can fit him in?

Garland starts a new six-year contract worth $6 million per year on July 1. That deal takes him until he is 36 years old, which will likely be past his prime. With just 22 points in 41 games this year, there are not many teams that have the cap space to fit in his contract. But the few who do should take a swing at this deal.

There are teams with Stanley Cup windows opening that should take advantage of Garland’s availability ahead of a bleak free-agent class. Which teams should trade for Garland?

The Anaheim Ducks add a scorer

After a blistering hot start to the season, Joel Quenneville’s Anaheim Ducks have slowed down in recent weeks. Still, they are third in the Pacific Division and could be in the postseason for the first time since 2018. They should be looking to add at the trade deadline, but there are not going to be a ton of forwards available. If they are willing to take on Garland’s six-year contract, he would be a great fit.

The Ducks have plenty of cap space to fit the extension in moving forward. Without many elite talents available in the free-agent market, they could get their July business done in March. The only hang-up is their defense, which features Jacob Trouba and Radko Gudas on expiring contracts. They may prioritize defense at the deadline, but they have room to fit Garland in as well.

Could Conor Garland be a Utah Mammoth?

Garland was a member of the Arizona Coyotes from 2018-21, playing 164 games with the team. Shortly after he left for Vancouver, the Coyotes left to become the Utah Mammoth. Now, the Mammoth are putting together a playoff push and could use some depth scoring. After all of that, could the Mammoth trade for Garland?

The Mammoth have the cap space and could use a forward to help fill in some gaps next year. Center Nick Schmaltz is one of the few top-six forwards actually hitting free agency in July. While Utah should want to keep him, someone may outbid them for his next contract. Having Garland on the team already, even though he is a winger, would help numb the pain of losing Schmaltz.

When they were the Coyotes, the team made a lot of trades for draft picks. They still have a lot of those picks, including 10 in the seven rounds of the 2026 Draft. Sending a few of those picks to Vancouver for Garland could help them make a splash in their second season.

The Red Wings make a swing

The Detroit Red Wings made a serious push to add Quinn Hughes in a trade with the Canucks. They have maintained their spot among the top three in the Atlantic Division without him, largely thanks to John Gibson and an elite Moritz Seider season. But they could use some depth scoring and have a ton of cap space to use.

The Red Wings have not made the playoffs since 2016, so they should be pushing all of their chips in to make it this season. Franchise legend Steve Yzerman has been the general manager since 2019, an era that has been defined by futility. They will not be able to sign players to support this core unless they get Alex Tuch. So trading a mid-round pick for Garland would help the team now and moving forward.

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