Seravalli: Canucks have made significant progress on extension with Conor Garland

Garland, 29, is eligible for an extension on July 1, as he enters the final year of his contract. The former Arizona Coyotes fifth-round pick in the 2015 draft wouldn’t make his NHL debut until the 2018-2019 season, making his debut in early December against the San Jose Sharks. Garland would finally find the back of the net in his eighth NHL game, against the Colorado Avalanche.

The American winger would spend the following two seasons in Arizona before he was shipped to Vancouver. On the day of the 2021 NHL draft, the Canucks packaged the ninth overall pick (Dylan Guenther), a 2022 second-round pick, a 2023 seventh-round pick, along with three salary cap dumps in Loui Eriksson, Jay Beagle and Antoine Roussel in exchange for Garland and defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson.

Needing a new contract, the Canucks locked up Garland shortly after the trade, signing a five-year, $24.75 million deal worth $4.95 million per year.

During his first four years in Vancouver, Garland has been a steady contributor, scoring a low of 46 and a high of 52 points. He has become a heavily relied-upon speedy winger who can play up and down the Canucks’ lineup, on the power play or in a shutdown role.

This news comes one day after TSN’s Darren Dreger reported that the team was making progress on an extension with goaltender Thatcher Demko, who is also available to be extended on July 1. Kiefer Sherwood is also extension-eligible on Canada Day.

The Canucks haven’t been too active on the transaction market – outside of trading for Edmonton Oilers forward Evander Kane – ahead of Friday’s draft, but management is busy making sure they are set up in a prime position to extend the players already on the roster come July 1.