In today’s Crier Media NHL rumours roundup, the Toronto Maple Leafs will need to make tough decisions based on the salary cap. The Montreal Canadiens are dealing with significant injuries. Finally, a trade demand from the Vancouver Canucks may become the NHL’s first significant trade of the season. 

Garland Wants Out of Vancouver 

It was reported by Elliotte Friedman just before the Vancouver Canucks home opener that Connor Garland had changed agents and was given permission to seek a trade. Going into a season where the expectations are high as they are attempting to make the playoffs, its not something a GM wants to have to deal with this early in a season. In the Canucks’ first two games, Garland has one goal and has only averaged 9:47 of ice time 

Friedman at the intermission says Columbus, Nashville and Winnipeg are interested in Conor Garland amongst other teams. Vancouver would like a d-man in return.

— NHL Watcher (@NHL_Watcher) October 15, 2023

Garland is in his third season with the Canucks earning $4.95 million until 2026, and Vancouver has no cap space to make a move. According to Friedman, the Columbus Blue Jackets, Nashville Predators and Winnipeg Jets are among the interested parties adding that Vancouver need to free $1 to $2 million in salary cap space and are interested in getting a defenseman in return 

Canadiens Mounting Injuries…..Again 

Montreal Canadiens forward Kirby Dach is expected to miss “significant” time with a lower-body injury, Sportsnet’s Eric Engels reports. Dach sustained the injury in Saturday’s win against the Chicago Blackhawks after he was on the receiving end of a large hit from Blackhawks defenseman Jarred Tinordi. 

Kirby Dach has a significant injury. He's out long-term. Still being diagnosed, more coming in the next few hours or days–according to Habs.

— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) October 16, 2023

Dach, 22, has looked like a future top-six center for the Habs if only he could stay healthy. Last season, he scored 14 goals and 38 points in 58 games, which was a career-high pace of 54 points in a full season. The 2019 third-overall pick of the Chicago Blackhawks was a point-per-game player this season, logging two assists through his first two games this season, but it appears his season is done. 

Martin St-Louis expressed the team’s deep disappointment, acknowledging Dach’s pivotal role as a key player. Despite the challenges posed by Dach’s absence, St-Louis stressed the importance of moving forward. “He’s definitely disappointed. It’s hard; second game of the season, and all the time you put in to build yourself up for this – it’s hard.”  

That’s not just awful for Dach. It’s awful for Slafkovsky. It’s awful for the entire C position as well.

It just took 10 points off the standings as well.

It really can not get worse than a “significant” Dach injury for this club.

The Athletics prediction just became true.

— Brian Wilde (@BWildeMTL) October 16, 2023

Alex Newhook will step in as the center on the second line, with St-Louis highlighting his speed as a factor. But as Brian Wilde points out above, the loss of Dach to their roster is devastating. Even though the team was not expected to make the playoffs, they were expected to move up the standings from a bottom-five team. Now, Montreal is looking like they’ll be in the draft lottery.  

Nylander Playing his Way out of Toronto 

William Nylander is coming off of a healthy 40-goal and 87-point season. This year, he has started where he left off, scoring three goals and six points in the first three games of the season. His head coach, Sheldon Keefe, recently commended Nylander’s confidence which has allowed him to showcase his game-changing abilities, “His confidence is at an all-time high…. It’s gotten to a point now where he’s starting to really separate himself from a lot of others in the league.”  

This helps Toronto this season but raises issues for next season. The Maple Leafs are in a cap crunch, even if the cap goes up to $88 or $89 million, they may not have the space to sign Nylander and secure enough depth on the roster to compete in the playoffs. That makes it important to go all-in right now.  

Nylander’s play is elevating his market value. If he keeps this torrid pace up, he’ll easily be the most sought-after free agent in the summer of 2024, with teams more than willing to meet his current desired $10 million contract, which may increase. If Toronto doesn’t give in to his current contract demands, Nylander will have no trouble finding a team willing to pay him. 

The Vancouver Canucks are once again trying to trade veteran forward Conor Garland and this time they have granted his new agent permission to speak with other teams to try and help facilitate a move. 

Garland, who has switched agents and is now represented by Judd Moldaver at Wasserman Hockey, has been the subject of trade discussions since early-2022 soon after Jim Rutherford was named President of Hockey Operations of the Canucks in Dec. 2021. 

TFP has reported multiple times since that Vancouver has made Garland available for trade, with separate sources confirming the desire to move him to be at the behest of Rutherford. 

While trade discussions have had their ups and downs involving Garland over the last year and a half, the Canucks are now hoping a new voice will assist in making a trade a reality at some point this season. 

The Canucks acquired Garland, along with defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, from the Arizona Coyotes on July 23, 2021. He has two years left on his contract after this season and comes with a $4.95 million salary cap hit. 

The Boston Bruins, Nashville Predators, Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings are among the teams that have been linked to Garland in the past, though it is unknown if any of those clubs would explore a trade at this point in time. 

Garland, 27, tallied 17 goals and 29 assists for 46 points in 81 games with the Canucks last season.