As General Manager Don Waddell has worked to acquire players with term, the Blue Jackets have taken shape as a mostly veteran-heavy lineup built around size and two-way prowess. But one thing they can't forget: to win in this league, you have to score. To do that, they need to get more out of Conor Garland.
Garland was acquired from the Vancouver Canucks just ahead of last spring's NHL trade deadline. The hope at the time was that he would come in and help solidify this team's middle six forward group, adding some secondary scoring to the mix.
Things started off really well. After going scoreless in his first game, Conor scored 4 goals in his next two, showing us a glimpse of the speed and tenacity that made him a hot commodity at the deadline.
Unfortunately, that glimpse is all we've had so far. He scored just 1 goal and 3 points in the final 18 Blue Jackets games down the stretch, which certainly didn't help this team hang onto their long-coveted playoff spot.
Worse, he's started this year seemingly in the Rick Bowness doghouse, buried on the fourth line even though this team is starving for more offense. For a guy that is under contract for the next six seasons (including this one) at a $6 million dollar AAV, something has to give here.
Where has the play driving gone?
That $6 million dollar AAV is going to not look quite so hefty in a few years, as Garland's career tapers off and his role diminishes. But, right now, he's the 5th-highest paid forward in the CBJ lineup, and it goes without saying that having him on the fourth line is less than ideal.
Throughout his career, he's been a relatively effective play driving winger, posting an on-ice CORSI% of at least 54% in every season of his career, up until last year (per MoneyPuck). That stat tells us that his team generates more than half of the shot-attempts when he's on the ice.
That number went as high as 59% in the 2023-24 season, when he scored 20 goals and 47 points. Those are strong second line winger numbers, which is exactly what the Blue Jackets hoped Garland could become here.
He's never been an elite offensive producer, but even when he's not scoring, he has been an effective two-way player that can chip in some secondary points. So, the most alarming thing to me isn't his lack of offensive production: it's his diminishing underlying numbers.
Worst of all, I haven't noticed him on the ice much so far, which is the reason I started digging into his game to begin with. He's supposed to bring speed and skill to this lineup-both traits this team is sorely lacking in its forward group-but I haven't noticed either.
At 30 years old, that begs the question: is his tank running out of gas, or is this just a slow start? Through the team's first two games, he's had just three shot attempts (none on goal), posting just a 47% CORSI, mostly on the fourth line.
Put it all together, in his CBJ career: Conor Garland has 23 games played, with 5 goals, 7 points, and a -6 rating while averaging around 13 minutes per game. That's not good enough, especially if you take away that 4 goal in 2 games stretch when he first came to town.
For this team to make a serious run at a playoff spot, they need him to find his offensive game and get back to being a 40-50 point guy, at the very minimum. That has to start with him getting back to basics, and bringing some energy to the bottom of the lineup. We'll be watching for that on Thursday night.
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