Canucks’ extension with Conor Garland could be 6 years at $6 million annually: report

On Thursday afternoon, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reported that the Canucks had made “significant progress” on an extension with Garland.

Garland, 29, is eligible for an extension on July 1st, as he enters the final year of his current contract, which carries a cap hit of $4.95 million. A fifth-round pick of the Arizona Coyotes in 2015, Garland played three NHL seasons with the Coyotes before the Canucks traded for him alongside defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson. While Ekman-Larsson’s time in Vancouver ended with the largest contract buyout in NHL history, Garland has found a home with the Canucks.

Over his four seasons with the Canucks, Garland has proven to be a solid middle six winger capable of driving play on his own. Alongside Teddy Blueger and Dakota Joshua, Garland helped form one of the most dominant third lines in the league during the 2023-24 season. Through 321 regular season games with the Canucks, Garland has tallied 75 goals and 120 assists.

Garland will be 30 years old when the extension kicks in. Here is some quick cap math on the extension with regards to how much it will take up on the Canucks’ books, percentage wise.

Currently, Garland’s $4.95 million takes up 5.21% of the cap. When the extension kicks in for the 2026-27 season, a $6 million AAV takes up 5.76% of the Canucks’ total cap space. By year two of the extension (when the upper limit rises to $113.5million), Garland’s $6 million cap hit would take up 5.28%.

Along with Garland, Thatcher Demko, Kiefer Sherwood, Teddy Blueger, and Akito Hirose will all be eligible to sign extensions with the Canucks as of July 1st. The Canucks are believed to be interested in extending Demko as well, according to multiple reports.

How do you feel about a 6×6 extension for Conor Garland?