Insider suggests top wingers are likely Canucks to be traded

The Vancouver Canucks are one of the few – if not the only – teams in the NHL that are openly rebuilding and willing to discuss trades involving virtually every player on their roster. Trading Quinn Hughes to Minnesota solidified that direction, and a plunge to the bottom of the standings has only reinforced it.

As a result, there was a lot of speculation surrounding their top veteran players leading up to the March 6 trade deadline. According to an insider, the two names to keep an eye on as they are most likely to be covered in the coming weeks may not be the names everyone expects.

In a recent article for The Athletic, Thomas Drance specifically mentioned Brock Boeser and Conor Garland as the top two Canucks prospects to be traded before the deadline.

Drance wrote:

“For now, we know the Canucks are ‘listening.’ And I might add that among this veteran group of eight players, I feel like Garland — whose no-move clause doesn’t kick in until July 1 — and Boeser should be considered the most likely veteran Vancouver players to realistically be moved before the deadline.

Boeser, 28, is in the first year of the seven-year, $50.75 million extension he signed with the Canucks last summer, while Garland’s six-year, $36 million extension, also signed this offseason, won’t kick in until the start of the 2026-2027 season.

Both players have 25 points this season: Boeser with 12 goals and 13 assists in 50 games, and Garland with seven goals and 18 assists in 46 games.

There should be plenty of interest in Brock Boeser and Conor Garland

Although both players have just been extended in Vancouver, the team’s leadership has done a complete 180 degrees in the seven months since, so Jim Rutherford and General Manager Patrik Allvin are already willing to acquire two of their top wingers – and understandably so.

That’s not because Boeser and Garland aren’t good players, but rather because in a landscape of rising salary caps, their contracts are actually very reasonable and should attract significant interest from contending teams around the league looking to add an impact piece to their forward-thinking group for both the present and the future.

While neither is having their best season statistically, Boeser has proven to be a consistent goal scorer with over 25 goals in this league, ahead of more, and Garland is the type of player you don’t like to play against, but would love to have on your team – usually a 45-50 points per year slot.

Montreal is said to be looking for a top-six winger, Carolina is always looking to score more, Washington, Seattle and Detroit have all missed out on Artemi Panarin, and even Edmonton is looking to strengthen the top-nine. These are just a few of the meaningful suitors, and there’s no doubt the list goes beyond that.

Given the certainty and duration of both contracts, Vancouver should not only attract plenty of interest, but also be able to recoup strong returns for each player, which further explains why they are most likely to be moved before the deadline.

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