Bruins should jump right in on a potential Conor Garland sweepstakes

Well, to the surprise of … literally no one … the Arizona Coyotes once again seem like a complete and utter train wreck.

The same franchise that *checks notes* …

• Is already fiscally hampered with albatross contracts such as Oliver Ekman-Larsson's ($8.25-million annual cap hit through the 2026-27 season) in this flat-cap era.
• Was already on the rocks financially before the 2021 season after being behind on rent payments for their own arena.
• Boast just the 25th-ranked prospect pool in the league according to The Athletic and no 2021 first-round pick due to predraft scouting violations.
• And have only made the playoffs once in the last nine years ... 

… seems to be in line for yet another fire sale this summer — with the laboring franchise looking to either save some cash moving forward or restock its farm system (perhaps both). 

And while a desire to move Ekman-Larsson’s arduous contract sure seems like a no-brainer if you’re the ‘Yotes, Arizona may also be looking to move on from a key cog in line for a pay raise moving forward, even if said player very well could be a franchise piece for years to come. 

Such seems to be the head-scratching rationale when it comes to Arizona’s handling of arguably its top forward in Conor Garland — who has more than earned a heftier contract as a restricted free agent after accounting for just a $775,000 cap hit each of the last two years.

And yet, despite Garland’s age (25) and impressive production over the last few years (22 goals in 68 games in 2019-20; 39 points in 49 games in 2021), it sure doesn’t seem like the Coyotes want to be the club that hands the Scituate native — who came up through the Junior Bruins program — his new deal. 

According to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, the Coyotes “have not treated Garland like the player who was the heartbeat of their team”, with Seravalli reporting that Arizona has not offered much of anything in terms of communication after Garland and his agent submitted two contract proposals back in May. 

Not wanting to pay a young and still cost-controlled asset like Garland his proper raise after his play the last two seasons is just the latest in a set of short-sighted, foolish moves by a franchise mired out in the desert in the ‘Yotes. 

But in that chaos out west lies opportunity for other teams, especially a club like the Bruins.

Because even if Boston’s top priorities this summer might involve re-upping its key pending UFAs, beefing up its defense and sorting out a plan in net with Tuukka Rask’s status up in the air, the fact of the matter is that Boston should also be in the market for yet another middle-six winger — one that could ideally slot next to Charlie Coyle and help drive a third line that was largely listless for extended stretches in 2021. 

And if you’re looking for a potential O-zone spark plug, Garland might be the most appealing option — at least when compared to the list of middle-six free agents that could be even pricier on the open market like a Blake Coleman or Kyle Palmieri. 

Garland’s ties to the Commonwealth might be the headlining detail when it comes to his potential fit in Boston, but more importantly — the winger has developed into one of the most underrated point producers at even-strength play over the last few seasons. 

He may not be the biggest body at 5-foot-10, but Garland doesn’t play within his smaller frame, with the winger routinely driving to Grade-A ice and generating quality looks off the rush. Pairing him with a puck-possession pivot like Coyle (also in line for a rebound after offseason surgery) could be a perfect match when it comes to giving Boston another lethal grouping beyond the expected production from both Bergeron and (potentially) Krejci’s lines. 

Given the extended sample size we’ve seen over the last few seasons, Garland projects as a very effective middle-six winger capable of putting together a 20-goal, 50-point stat line year in and year out — and is potentially capable of even gaudier numbers if he were to supplant Craig Smith in Boston's top six. (A good problem to have when it comes to adding scoring depth throughout the lineup.)

Even though Garland hasn’t been a power-play ace during his three seasons in the NHL, his even-strength production is right up there with some of the top players in the league. 

Since the start of the 2019-20 season, there have been 652 NHLers that have logged at least 500 minutes of 5v5 ice time. Among that huge grouping, Garland ranks...

• 42nd overall in 5v5 goals per 60 minutes (1.01) — higher than other noteworthy names such as Travis Konecny, Jonathan Huberdeau, Anders Lee, Blake Coleman, Jake Guentzel and Mark Stone. 
• 56th overall in 5v5 points per 60 minutes (2.19) — which would be fourth-highest on the Bruins outside of Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak and Patrice Bergeron. 
• 34th overall in 5v5 shots per 60 minutes (9.0) — which would be good for sixth on the Bruins.

That’s pretty damn good for a 25-year-old winger that's still largely flown under the radar — not only giving Boston’s third line an instant face-lift this season, but a potential top-six regular for years to come as the Bergeron era comes to a close. 

Of course, Arizona could be asking for a lot in return for Garland giving his promising offensive ceiling and fiscal limitations in terms of his RFA status. And while Boston should be hesitant in terms of taking on money such as Ekman-Larsson’s contract, there is considerably less risk when it comes to Garland and what he could give this club on the ice. 

And while Boston might have to part ways with some draft capital or younger prospects in order to facilitate such a move, dealing for a player like Garland stands as both a proactive deal in both this immediate win-now window and in the coming years when the B’s need to turn to other options as their veteran core continues to age.

If Garland is indeed up for grabs this summer, Boston should be doing everything it can to bring the South Shore native back home.

Stats and graphs via Natural Stat Trick, HockeyViz and JFreshHockey.

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Wanted to close today’s notebook by sending our heartfelt thoughts to David Pastrnak and his girlfriend, Rebecca Rohlsson, after the Bruins winger shared news on Monday of the loss of their infant son.

Viggo Rohl Pastrnak — born on June 17 — was just six days old. 

“We have an Angel watching over us and we call him SON. You will be loved forever,” Pastrnak posted on his Instagram account about the tragic news. "Please respect our privacy as we are going through these heartbreaking times.”

May David, Rebecca and their families find some peace in the midst of this heartbreaking time.