Canucks News & Rumors: Garland, Rathbone, Friedman & More

In this edition of the Vancouver Canucks News & Rumors, the Conor Garland trade speculation continues. Meanwhile, the club traded Jack Rathbone to the Pittsburgh Penguins to acquire Mark Friedman. Also, head coach Rick Tocchet criticized the Canucks, after their 2-0 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Oct. 17.

Update on Garland Trade

The Garland trade speculation continues as Elliotte Friedman commented on the teams still interested in him. The Nashville Predators, Winnipeg Jets and Columbus Blue Jackets are three teams named previously who could be interested in the forward. However, Friedman said with Luke Schenn’s injury, it is unlikely the Nashville Predators they trade for the forward as they can’t move defenceman Dante Fabbro.

Meanwhile, he said the Jets don’t have the space to add Garland, but he did add that the Blue Jackets and Washington Capitals are teams he can see trading for the forward. As the Canucks are willing to retain up to 30% of Garland’s salary, more teams are interested in trading for him.

Canucks Trade Rathbone, Acquire Friedman

The Canucks made another trade, acquiring defenceman Friedman and forward Ty Glover for defenceman Rathbone and forward Karel Plasek on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the club assigned Akito Hirose to Abbotsford and recalled Friedman.

Friedman is a 27-year-old right-shot defenceman, which is what the club needed. Additionally, he adds depth to the right side of the blue line. Tyler Myers and Noah Juulsen struggled in the team’s 2-0 loss to the Flyers and are the right-shot defenceman on the second and third pairings. Friedman will likely take Juulsen’s spot in the lineup once he is available to play. Meanwhile, Glover was sent to the Kalamazoo Wings of the ECHL.

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Rathbone is the notable player sent to Pittsburgh in the trade. The offensive defenceman had a tough time making the main roster over the past few seasons due to injuries and this season due to the addition of Ian Cole and Carson Soucy.

Related: Canucks’ Flaws Exposed in Loss to Flyers

“I would like to thank Jack for all the time he spent with our organization and always pushing hard when competing for a spot,” general manager Patrik Allvin said. “It has been a tough couple of years for him and this will give him a fresh start. The two players coming back in this trade will add to our depth as we continue to look at ways to improve our organization.”

Tocchet Criticizes Canucks Performance 

The Canucks suffered their first loss of the 2023-24 regular season against the Flyers on Tuesday. Goaltender Thatcher Demko saved 40 shots, but the Flyers shut the Canucks out in a 2-0 loss. Tocchet commented on the team’s performance.

“We were off in every single system part of it. And then the compete wasn’t there. They competed, we didn’t. That’s the bottom line. I really don’t have anything to say — no compete. And then we tried in spurts, but it’s not good enough.

“We weren’t smart everywhere. It’s a good lesson for us. Who are we to think we’re anybody?”

Tocchet added he saw a few players who weren’t competing, and they will need to pick it up soon. Andre Kuzmenko, Anthony Beauvillier and Phil Di Giuseppe saw minimal time at 5-on-5 in the third period. The three forwards are likely the players Tocchet mentioned, as well as Myers and Juulsen, for the way they played. Meanwhile, J.T. Miller believes there’s no need for the team to hit the panic button only three games in.

“We lost today because of things we can totally control, and that’s work ethic and the F-U I was talking about after Game 1, little details and the staples our team has been talking about.

“I can be better, that’s for sure. But I don’t want there to be a sense of panic in the room; it’s Game 3 and we’re 2-1. At the end of the day, we’ve got to hold ourselves accountable and to the standard that we believe we can play to.”

The Canucks take on the Tampa Bay Lightning on Oct. 19. They will need to come out strong and put together a respectable effort.