It’s entirely possible that the Vancouver Canucks have already completed their last major trade of the 2025-26 season.

Not their last trade, period. Chances are still very good that UFAs like Evander Kane, Teddy Blueger, and David Kämpf are flipped by the March 9 Trade Deadline. But their returns are expected to fall somewhere in the range of mid-to-late round picks, and it’s hard to call that ‘major.’

Some longer-termed veterans may also be moved ahead of the deadline, but that’s both significantly less likely and decidedly more complicated. At the same time, some of the contracts involved are so large that it might be challenging to move them for any major return, with the likes of Brock Boeser included on that list.

That’s why it seems likeliest that the only two deals to bring in notable returns of the 2025-26 may have already been completed in the Quinn Hughes and Kiefer Sherwood trades.

But if there’s one more ‘big fish’ trade left in the Canucks’ holster, it’s probably Conor Garland. It would seem that Garland walks the line perfectly between a low enough cap hit and a stable enough reputation to still hold some considerable interest, and thus some considerable value, around the league. It’s true that his pending six-year, $6 million AAV extension represents a big commitment, but it seems there are at least a few teams out there prepared to make that commitment. Today, we thought we’d do some guessing as to who those teams might be, via our latest edition of Meet the Buyers.

This time around, we’re specifically talking about those teams who might trade for Garland in that two-week period between the Olympic Break and the 2026 Trade Deadline. There may be an entirely different list of suitors for the coming offseason, but that’s also the point at which Garland’s new NMC starts to complicate things. A team willing to trade for Garland this season needs both the cap space and the need for Garland now and into the foreseeable future.

Thankfully, in a league where cap space is abundant and reliable two-way play remains at a premium, that still leaves a large number of potential destinations.

Estimated Deadline Cap Space: $45,552,000

The Blue Jackets have a decent young core that they’d love to move into some sort of competitive phase more surely than slowly. But that is going to require some notable roster upgrades, essentially all over.

Given that Columbus is currently playing former Canuck and recent waiver-passee Danton Heinen in their top six, it seems that the wing is an area of particular focus, both now and moving forward.

Just four points out of the playoffs with a game in hand following a classic coaching change turnaround, the Blue Jackets will be going for it this year. They’ve left themselves some cap space for virtually any acquisition they might want to make within this season, and their immediate future books look clean, too, with no significant raises impending. The Blue Jackets are also replete with prospects and picks to offer up as potential return.

Estimated Deadline Cap Space: $15,711,000

The Kings were looking to add scoring and talent to their roster before Kevin Fiala suffered a season-ending injury at the Olympics. One has to imagine their efforts are now doubled, especially considering this is still captain Anze Kopitar’s final season, meaning they can’t exactly give up on it now.

Los Angeles has a ton of cap space now and lots more opening up in the offseason, even after signing the incoming Artemi Panarin to a short-term extension. They hired Ken Holland to be their GM, which is a sign they’re aiming to compete over the next few years. But they also entered the Olympic Break three points out of a playoff spot. With Fiala out, improvements are needed.

Garland would fit well in a top-nine that has been vacated by Fiala and still contains some questionable and replaceable names like Joel Armia and Andrei Kuzmenko. And with the Kings’ expected prospect bonanza never really materializing at the NHL level, Garland could hold that spot down for the foreseeable future, too. He could provide some added veteran stability and leadership in the wake of Kopitar’s retirement.

The only downside here, and it’s a big one, is that in trading Garland to LA, the Canucks would ensure several meetings with him per year.

Estimated Deadline Cap Space: $14,497,000

The Wild are, obviously, going for it. Their back-end is all built up, but they need serious help with their forward corps.

They’ve already pushed in the majority of their chips in acquiring Hughes. In an ideal world, the remainder of their assets would go toward a new centre. But those aren’t exactly readily available, and so the Wild might have to compromise and add a good winger instead.

In Garland, they’d get someone who already has established chemistry with Hughes, and who is a personal friend – something that could come in handy as they attempt to extend Hughes starting this summer. That’s something the Canucks once hoped Garland could play a role in, and maybe he still can, just not in Vancouver.

And while money needs to be set aside for that potential Hughes extension, the Wild books are in relatively good shape moving forward, with some of their bigger and older contracts set to expire in the next couple of years.

The Wild may not have much left to give, but they’ve probably got enough for Garland, and he does look like a fine fit there.

Estimated Deadline Cap Space: $6,021,000

The Islanders would seem to be attempting an odd sort of retool where they build around rookie phenom Matthew Schaefer while at the same time aiming for a playoff position. So far, the unconventional approach appears to be working just fine, and, if they want, the NYI have left themselves room for at least one Trade Deadline acquisition of note.

The Islanders, like the Wild, might prefer to acquire a centre. But with those on short supply, they could also use help on the wings, where they’ve got recent cap dump Ondrej Palat currently playing a prominent role.

The Islanders will see veteran contracts like Anders Lee and J-G Pageau expire this summer, and if they leave, Garland slides nicely into both their vacated cap space and their roles as reliable two-way vets. He keeps the ball rolling on Long Island for at least a little longer, which is all they seem interested in before the Schaefer Era truly takes hold.

As a bonus, the Isles are also one of the few teams up there with multiple first-rounders on hand to spend.

Estimated Deadline Cap Space: $13,958,000

The Senators are a team that has actually been linked to Garland via rumours, and it’s not hard to see the fit. Garland seems like a natural, temperament-wise, for a team led by Brady Tkachuk. And the Senators are one of the few rosters out there that is heavy down the middle, but a little light on the wings.

Bringing in Garland would instantly knock the likes of Nick Cousins and Mike Amadio out of the Senators’ top nine, which makes them a better team. His age matches decently well with their established core of forwards, and his skills should still be relevant to their attempts to get more and more competitive over the next couple of years.

A bad start has left the Sens a full six points out of the playoffs as of the Olympic Break. They’ll still attempt to make it, but even if they fall short, an acquisition like Garland can continue to pay off in the seasons to come, which makes him a fine way to hedge their bets.

Estimated Deadline Cap Space: $32,381,000

We know that Rick Tocchet and Garland got along famously. We don’t know if Tocchet is part of the long-term plan in Philadelphia. But if he is, a reunion makes some sense.

The biggest thing working against this, at least within the 2025-26 season, is that the Flyers are way out of the playoffs. That said, they’re eight points back with a game in hand on the Senators, who still think they’re in the hunt. Philadelphia is only out of it if they decide they are, and they don’t seem to have made that decision yet.

The Flyers’ crop of young talent is still a number of years away from getting their own sizeable extensions. There’s a window of opportunity in between to stock up the NHL roster and make a bit more noise, and Garland could be a part of that. He’d replace some of the outright no-names in the Flyers’ current top-nine, and we can’t pretend that Tocchet wouldn’t like the idea of Garland coaching Matvei Michkov on the art of playing the game ‘the right way.’

Estimated Deadline Cap Space: $29,008,000

The Mammoth would seem to have a very bright future, what with their young, competitive roster and more cap space than they know what to do with. All that Utah really needs to do from here on out is wait for its talent to mature and make some smart acquisitions to supplement that talent, and maybe Garland is part of that equation.

A team with former cast-offs Michael Carcone and Kailer Yamamoto still in the top nine could certainly use the wing upgrade.

The only thing really working against this idea is that the Mammoth are already a little small on the wings, as led by Clayton Keller. If they want to lean in to that identity, who better than Garland to lead the way? If not, they’re probably going to set their sights on literally bigger fish.

Estimated Deadline Cap Space: $5,108,000

We’re breaking away from the alphabetical order and cheating a bit in including the Bruins here. They don’t have enough cap space to acquire Garland within the 2025-26 season, or at least not without shedding some money first.

That said, all it would take is the Canucks taking back a cap dump like Casey Mittelstadt to make it work, which doesn’t seem like a bridge too far. Garland has also specifically been tied to the Bruins in rumours, so there might be something there, and the fit is clear enough. Garland’s age works well with a David Pastrnak-led core, and with a young centre in Frazer Minten really coming on this year, maybe another productive veteran winger is exactly what they need to add to the mix.

Garland would bump the likes of the aforementioned Mittelstadt or tough guys Tanner Jeannot and Mark Kastelic out of the top-nine, making the surprising Bruins an even more dangerous and rambunctious postseason opponent for a few years to come.