Boston Bruins
Garland is signed through the end of the 2031-32 season at a $6 million cap hit.
Conor Garland has been a middle-six spark plug for Vancouver. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
March 4, 2026 | 6:31 AM
4 minutes to read
In an ideal scenario, Don Sweeney would like to add to this Bruins roster.
Fresh off of Tuesday’s 2-1 win over the Penguins, Boston (73 points) remains in the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with a record of 34-21-5 — three points clear of the Columbus Blue Jackets in the logjammed Eastern Conference standings.
Boston might need some reinforcements if it wants to earn a spot back in the postseason after a one-year hiatus.
As impressive as Boston has been this season, offensive regression remains a risk — with the Bruins tallying 15 goals above their expected rate on the year (per Natural Stat Trick).
Some additional middle-six scoring punch might be needed for Marco Sturm’s club to counter any shooting slumps or returns to the mean that could dilute Boston’s offensive output down the stretch.
But rentals, be it up front or on the blue line, don’t seem to be a priority for Sweeney and his staff — not at this stage of Boston’s retooling efforts.
“We’d like to give them a bump, because they’ve earned that, but it’s an eye towards obviously this year, but moving forward as well,” Sweeney acknowledged on Monday.
A scoring winger may not steal headlines like a blockbuster trade for a top-line pivot like Robert Thomas. Utilizing trade chips to reinforce the right side of Boston’s D corps might be viewed as a more prudent investment.
But with just a few days to go before the NHL’s trade deadline on Friday afternoon, it seems as though Boston is leaving no stone unturned in its search to add players that can help out this club — both this spring and in the years ahead.
Add Vancouver forward Conor Garland to that mix.
According to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, the Bruins have “re-engaged” with Vancouver in trade talks involving Garland, who has also been linked to teams like the Islanders over the last few days.
Per Pagnotta, a Bruins trade package to pry a player like Garland out of Vancouver could include “[Matt] Poitras and/or [Mason] Lohrei.”
Garland does check off at least a few boxes of what the Bruins might be looking for — beyond the fact that hails from Scituate.
The South Shore product has been one of the more unheralded middle-six spark plugs in the NHL over the last few seasons — averaging 18.8 goals and 48.8 points over his last four full seasons with the Canucks.
He’s not the biggest body at 5-foot-10 and 165 pounds, but Garland has a nose for the net and has few qualms with throwing his body around on the forecheck. He may not be a 30-goal threat, but Garland tends to tilt ice in his club’s favor while out on a shift.
Conor Garland, signed to a 6x$6M extension by VAN, is a two-way playmaking winger who despite his small stature is willing and able to do pretty much whatever is needed of him whether it’s forechecking, making plays, carrying the puck, or getting to the net. #Canucks pic.twitter.com/nVZFKjWVFT
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) July 1, 2025
His play has dipped a bit on a woeful Canucks club this season (seven goals, 26 points in 49 games), but Garland will function as a play-driving force on either the second or third line of most NHL teams if he’s dealt before Friday.
Garland also fits into what the Bruins might be prioritizing when it comes to trade targets, given his contract.
Garland, who will turn 30 years old on March 11, signed a six-year, $36 million extension with Vancouver last July that doesn’t even go into effect until next season. He won’t hit free agency again until he turns 36 years old.
If an NHL team is looking for a middle-six stalwart capable of providing 40-50 points a season, Garland would fit the bill.
But is this Bruins team — as it’s currently constituted — the team that makes the most sense for a player like Garland?
In some respects, Garland feels like the type of asset that the Bruins would covet during their last contention window from 2019-23 — a third-line scoring threat who could give a Cup-ready club a much-needed adrenaline shot further down on the depth chart.
The 2025-26 Bruins might be a playoff team, but they’re still likely a few years away from establishing themselves as a true Cup contender.
And it will be Boston’s next wave of young talent — not Garland — that will put them over the top in the coming years.
Coughing up coveted trade chips like first-round picks or blue-chip prospects for a 1C like Thomas or a potential 30-goal winger like Owen Tippett — both of whom are signed to long-term deals — might be a worthwhile investment for a Bruins team looking to add foundational pieces for both now and in the coming years.
But Garland feels more like the missing ingredient for a nearly-completed, win-now roster, rather than the type of player that moves the needle for a Bruins team in transition.
The case can be made that the Bruins could receive a scoring spark on the wing later this spring with just the addition of James Hagens — so long as he opts to turn pro after Boston College’s season comes to a close.
And while it shouldn’t come as a surprise that a young center like Poitras or a playmaking defenseman like Lohrei could be parlayed into an appealing trade package, it also needs to be for the proper return.
If the Bruins are flipping a player in Lohrei who has steadied his game over the last few months, it should net Boston an upgrade on the right side of its defense — or a forward with a higher offensive upside than Garland.
Garland might function as a de-facto replacement moving forward for a top-six winger like Viktor Arvidsson, who is set to hit free agency this summer.
Still, there is some risk when it comes to adding a soon-to-be 30-year-old forward to this Bruins depth chart for the long haul — especially with Garland accounting for a $6 million annual cap hit through the 2031-32 season.
Garland would help the Bruins during this ongoing playoff push. Beyond his local ties, his relentless approach and effort would likely make him a fan favorite in Boston for years to come.
But he doesn’t exactly fit the timeline of this Boston roster — not at both the price it’d take and the timeline that this retooling club is currently operating on.
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
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