While many in Columbus slept shortly after midnight March 6, Blue Jackets president/general manager Don Waddell was busy completing a trade to acquire forward Conor Garland from the Vancouver Canucks.
More: Columbus Blue Jackets hold on, top Florida Panthers 4-2
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Garland, who will turn 30 on March 11, was acquired in exchange for the Blue Jackets’ third-round pick in 2026 and second-round pick in 2028. Vancouver isn’t retaining any salary on Garland, who is making $4.95 million in the final year of his current deal and signed a six-year, $36 million contract extension on July 1 that annually costs $6 million against the NHL’s salary cap.
The cap ceiling is $95.5 million this season and has scheduled increases to $104 million in 2026-27 and $113.5 million in 2027-28, making Garland’s cap number economical for a player capable of scoring 20 goals and 50 points a season.
Forward Conor Garland has seven goals and 19 assists this season.
“Conor is a versatile player who brings great energy to the lineup every night, and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome he and his family to Columbus,” Waddell said in a statement. “He has tremendous character, plays a reliable two-way game and will be an important part of our club now and in the future.”
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This was the type of trade Waddell told The Dispatch in late February that he would consider before the NHL’s 3 p.m. ET March 6 trade deadline. Garland isn’t a pending unrestricted free agent, so he’s not a rental who can leave when free agency opens July 1, and he has played as a top-six forward most of his NHL career.
Though slightly built at 5 feet 10, 165 pounds, he’s two-way player who can help in all three zones and carries a manageable cap hit. He also didn’t cost a first-round pick.
Garland’s production has lagged this season while skating at right wing on the top line for a team that’s out of the playoff mix, but over his career he has averaged 19 goals and 47 points, and he has played at least 68 games in every season.
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His scoring line through 50 games this season is seven goals, 19 assists and 26 points. Over 535 NHL games with the former Arizona Coyotes (2018-2021) and Canucks (2021-2026), Garland has 129 goals, 188 assists, 317 points and a +3 plus/minus rating.
Garland skated at right wing on the Canucks’ top line, which is a spot that Kirill Marchenko has locked up with the Blue Jackets. Marchekno has formed a dangerous combination with center Adam Fantilli and Mason Marchment at left wing.
Marchment left with an apparent leg injury in the second period of the Blue Jackets’ 4-2 victory over the Florida Panthers on March 5. He didn’t return in the third period and coach Rick Bowness didn’t provide a medical update other than to call it a lower-body injury.
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Marchment will be re-evaluated March 6 on a day off for the Blue Jackets, who have won three straight games to climb within three points of a playoff spot.
Canucks forward Conor Garland during a stop in play against the Stars on March 2.
Marchenko doesn’t prefer skating on the left wing with a right-handed shot unless it’s a power play. He likes skating on the right, his strong side, so it’s unlikely he and the Jackets’ new winger will be put together if Garland feels the same. Instead, Garland may fit on a second line that featured Kent Johnson at left wing, Sean Monahan at center and captain Boone Jenner on the right against the Panthers.
Matching Garland with Monahan and Johnson could help all three boost their numbers. Should Marchment be sidelined for multiple games, either Johnson, Jenner or Dmitri Voronkov could move up to skate with Fantilli and Marchenko, or it could be Garland if he’s willing left wing.
Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell
What else do Columbus Blue Jackets want before deadline expires?
Waddell has stated that he’s not interested in adding rental forwards in deadline deals. He already has a handful of impact players who are unsigned as pending unrestricted free agents.
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That said, adding further depth to the forwards could be accomplished before the deadline arrives. Those type of rentals might work because they wouldn’t be acquired to play a top role and wouldn’t create a big hole in the lineup should they leave in the summer.
Bringing former Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno to Columbus from the Chicago Blackhawks would qualify as that type of move. He’d add size, grit and sneaky skill to the lineup, likely on the fourth line, while giving the Jackets another veteran leader.
Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com and @BrianHedger.bsky.social
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets add Conor Garland in surprise NHL trade