Blue Jackets make a strong push for Canucks forward as injury worry creeps in
Photo credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Conor Garland just became a real trade deadline target for the Columbus Blue Jackets, and the urgency feels tied to a sudden injury scare.
Pierre LeBrun reported Columbus has made a very strong push for Garland, with talks escalating with the Vancouver Canucks.
That is not casual tire-kicking, that's a contender trying to solve a problem before the clock hits zero.
Vancouver has every reason to listen. The Canucks are 18-36-7 and the season has slipped into asset-management mode.
Garland's production stays steady through the chaos. He has 7-19-26, and he still plays like every shift is a puck battle you can win.
LeBrun also noted Mason Marchment left his game with a lower-body injury, and he wasn't sure if it was connected.
Marchment's page now lists him day-to-day, and Columbus cannot afford to lose forecheck weight right as the stretch run bites.
Conor Garland puts the Columbus Blue Jackets on edge
Blue Jackets fans can feel the tension, because this is the kind of rumor that either turns into a fun deadline win or a brutal «we missed» story.
Columbus is sitting at 32-21-8, and this is the exact record where you buy, not watch other teams get better.
Garland fits the need cleanly. He can ride shotgun in a top-six, he can drive a third line when matchups get nasty, and he helps your man advantage by keeping possessions alive.
The cap side is the real puzzle. Garland's current cap hit is $4,950,000, and his extension kicks in next season at $6,000,000.
That means Vancouver can ask for a real piece back, because this is not just a rental.
It also means Columbus has to be honest about its own books, because a winger at that number needs to be a lineup staple.
If Marchment's injury lingers, the push makes even more sense. His season line is 14-16-30, and those are points you cannot replace with vibes.
Now it's a waiting game. Either the Blue Jackets land the winger they want, or they pivot fast and hope the room doesn't feel it.
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