With the departure of key offensive players, including the likes of JT Miller, Pius Suter, and Dakota Joshua, the Vancouver Canucks will no doubt be forced to rely on other players to take on bigger roles throughout the lineup during the 2025-26 season.

The losses of JT Miller and Pius Suter in particular will undoubtedly hurt the team offensively. Suter ranked fourth in goals on the Canucks, while Miller ranked fifth in assists before being traded away.

These players’ departures only open the door for other players to step up and fill said offensive void. And that sets up well for Conor Garland to become a more relied-upon offensive asset for the Canucks.

Any Canucks fan witnessed what Garland provides more than just what is shown on the stat sheet; his tenacity and effort levels bring immense value to the team even in games where he is held pointless.

But with more ice time, a new contract, and a larger role, the question has to be asked: What can we expect of Garland this season?

Garland had 50 points in 81 games last season, the second-highest point total he has achieved in his career. In addition, the winger also set a career high in time on ice per game and game-winning goals. While this level of point production is consistent with what Garland has put up throughout his career, the onus is on him to provide more offensive production for the team in the upcoming season.

However, it wasn’t all perfect for Garland last season, as he had numerous stretches where he was held without a point – something he will be expected to improve on this season as his contract extension kicks in. After finishing third in goals and fourth in points on the team in 2024-2025, there’s no reason Garland can’t improve on those totals with added ice time.

In his four seasons in Vancouver, Garland has met the 50-point threshold twice, while falling just short in the other two seasons. With additional ice time and a larger role on the team, it seems fair to expect Garland can get to 20 goals, as last season he only missed that mark by one goal.

For Garland to meet expectations, and even possibly surpass them, he should focus on building chemistry with his new linemates and capitalizing on the opportunities given to him. There’s a very good chance Garland sticks on the second line for the entire season, and he may even see some top-unit power play minutes throughout the season.

According to Daily Faceoff, Garland is projected to play on the right side on a line with Filip Chytil and Evander Kane.

If Garland can build on last season, and if Chytil can stay healthy, this line could be a key source of secondary scoring with Garland and Chytil driving much of the play. Not to mention if Kane can regain some of his offensive touch a season after missing an entire year with injury.

Garland has notoriously been a 40-50 point player in his career, but with the Canucks in dire need of secondary scoring, there’s no better time than now for Garland to have a breakout season – and he’ll have plenty of opportunity to do so.

Daily Faceoff has the former fifth-round pick currently projected to be on the second line power play. But if last season was indicative of anything revolving around the power play formation, Garland will likely be given every chance to retain his spot on the first unit.

One of Garland’s best attributes is his puck retrievals, which give him a distinct advantage over other players on the Canucks roster. Sure, DeBrusk, Boeser, Hughes and Pettersson have top-tier shots, but you need someone to feed them the puck, and that’s where Garland can solidify his spot on the first-unit power play.

If the chips fall into place for Garland, 60+ points could be a realistic outcome for him.

By Garland’s standard, this point pace would be right a significant dip from his career numbers. With 291 points in 485 games, Garland’s career point-per-game is 0.6. A dip to under 0.50 points-per-game (41 points) would be a massive step back when you consider the opportunity he has next season.

With the Canucks ever so desperate for offence, and with Garland receiving a pay raise this offseason, these numbers just won’t cut it anymore. For Garland to be a difference maker, he has to at least exceed this pace.

Alongside Jake DeBrusk, Brock Boeser and Elias Pettersson, Garland will be relied upon as one of the team’s top forwards. If Garland fails to reach the 50-point threshold, it would be a big disappointment for a Canucks team where offence may be hard to come by.

Heading into training camp, Garland’s focus should be on developing chemistry with his projected linemates, which will be key in Garland getting off to a good start offensively, and hopefully using that momentum through the rest of the season to surpass these expectations.