3 teams linked to potential trade with Vancouver Canucks.

We are in the very early stages of the 2023-24 National Hockey League regular season, but in spite of that there are already trade rumors floating around the league.

The big one broke this week when news leaked out regarding the status of Vancouver Canucks veteran forward Conor Garland, news that indicated Garland had already been granted permission to speak to other teams about a potential trade deal. Garland is currently in just the 3rd year of a 4 year deal he signed with the Canucks in the summer of 2021, a deal that carries a cap hit of $4.95 million per season.

On Saturday night, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman revealed that at least 3 teams are in the mix here, although he alluded to the fact that he believes there may be even more teams involved.

"Among the teams that have been reported to be interested Columbus, Nashville and Winnipeg but I do think there are more," revealed Friedman on Hockey Night in Canada.

Friedman also revealed that the Canucks tried to make this deal happen during the offseason but were unsuccessful in their bid to do so. Friedman indicated that this could cause an even bigger delay in the trade materializing due to the fact that teams will be hesitant to shake things up so early into the season.

"Now it's harder to predict the timeline because teams tend to wait and see what they've got before making moves, so it's tougher to say when this is going to occur," said Friedman.

Friedman also indicated that he believes the Canucks are seeking a defensemen in return for Garland, while also trying to shave $1-2 million off of their current cap hit. These specific demands from the Canucks will likely limit their options, and only time will tell when this saga comes to its end.