Canucks sign Conor Garland to six-year extension

The Vancouver Canucks have announced that they’ve signed winger Conor Garland to a six-year contract extension with a cap hit of $6 million.

Garland is entering the final year of his five-year contract with a $4.95 million cap hit, and with the league calendar resetting on July 1st, he was eligible for an extension. The deal has a no-move clause for the first three seasons, and then a modified no-trade clause for the final three seasons, as well as signing bonuses of $5 million in year two, $3 million in year three, and $2 million in the final three seasons.

“Conor is a core member of our hockey team and a player who has taken on a bigger role with the club the past couple seasons,” said Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin in a statement released by the team. “His commitment to us by signing this deal shows how confident he is in our organization’s vision and direction. He competes hard every day, drives play on the ice, is relentless on the forecheck and is really tough to play against. Gars is an emerging leader in the group and works extremely hard to keep himself and the players around him accountable.”

Garland is coming off of one of his better seasons in his NHL career, with 19 goals and 31 assists for 50 points in 81 games. It’s his second-most productive season after his 52-point season in 2021-22, when he debuted with the Canucks. That said, it’s right on par with his career totals, as he averages 51 points per 82 games.

The Canucks have made a few moves so far this summer, most notably acquiring winger Evander Kane from the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday in exchange for a 2025 4th round pick. Vancouver has also re-signed defenseman Derek Forbort and given goaltender Thatcher Demko a three-year contract extension.

The Canucks will look to rebound from a nightmare 2024-25 season, not only on the ice but off the ice as well. On top of finishing six points outside of a playoff spot with a 38-30-14 record, they also had to deal with plenty of drama in the locker room, most notably issues between centers Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller, which resulted in Miller getting dealt to the New York Rangers before the trade deadline.