The 2026 NHL trade deadline has come and gone. With teams around the league making the final tweaks to their rosters before the late playoff push, rumors swirled all week long, including one about a former captain. From a Blue Jackets perspective, another long-discussed rumor actually came true.
It seems like Conor Garland to the Columbus Blue Jackets has been manifested (fan-ifested?) for years. If you know his game, you already know the facts. This guy seems like he's always been destined to wear the Union Blue uniform of the CBJ.
If you do not know his game, you are going to quickly fall in love with him. Garland was a late-round pick of the Arizona Coyotes back in 2015. He was in his second year of eligibility, despite scoring at better than a point-per-game clip in his draft season.
But as an 18 year old playing in the QMJHL, he exploded onto the scene and put himself onto the radar of some NHL teams. He scored 35 goals and 129 points in 67 games that season, which was enough for the Coyotes to take a 5th round (#123 overall) flyer on him.
As an undersized, late-round pick, he had to spend another year in juniors-then two full seasons in the American Hockey League-before he finally got a shot in the NHL. Through hard work and perseverance, he was able to carve out a roll in Arizona as a feisty two-way winger, who could chip in some secondary offense.
Since debuting, he's played in 535 NHL games, establishing himself as one of the best third line wingers in the entire NHL. He can chip in on the second line as well, which is where it sounds like he might get his start.
Don Waddell says they think Mason Marchment is going to be OK.
— Union and Blue (@UnionAndBlue) March 6, 2026
Sees Garland potentially on the second line with Kent Johnson or Boone Jenner on the other side.
If Conor Garland plays on the second line, what do the forward lines look like?
After picking up Garland, GM Don Waddell has left head coach Rick Bowness with plenty of options for his forward lines. If his interview and press conference (linked above) are true, we have an idea where they might start.
With Mason Marchment apparently avoiding serious injury despite leaving last night's game, the Jackets may come out tomorrow night with their forwards lined up like this:
Marchment - Fantilli - Marchenko
Johnson - Monahan - Garland
Sillinger - Coyle - Olivier
Voronkov - Jenner - Lundestrom
Wood, Heinen
Right off the bat, I had to wonder aloud: is that the deepest forward group we have ever seen in Central Ohio? It sure feels like it is.
They may not have the top-end talent that they rolled into the 2019 playoffs with, but this is a team that suddenly looks like they can win a playoff series. After all, if they can find their way in, they will do so as one of the hottest teams in the NHL since the new year.
Nobody is going to want to face off against that lineup, playing the way they have for the last two months. Garland adds a little skill, plenty of speed, and even more tenacity to a team that is built to be big, heavy and skilled.
The games get tighter in the playoffs. It becomes less about scoring, and more about checking and winning battles. The Jackets are built for that kind of hockey game.
The best part of this trade? It cost only secondary futures.
We talked briefly about it this morning, but it's worth mentioning again. All Waddell traded away for Conor Garland was a third round draft pick this summer, and a second round draft pick in 2028.
Those are lottery tickets at best, and if either turns into an NHL player, it's probably not for at least five years down the road. By that point, Garland may have already become a beloved fan favorite in Central Ohio; an important piece of the most successful run in franchise history.
That's the hope, anyway. Fingers crossed. We like this move for the Blue Jackets, it's a low-risk, high-reward buy on a talented guy with term.