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Vancouver Canucks' Conor Garland officially returns to the lineup as injuries continue to pile up


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Marshall Stinson
January 12, 2026  (1:30 PM)
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May 8, 2024; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Conor Garland (8) drives past Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid (97) during the first period in game one of the second round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Rogers Arena.
Photo credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images

The Vancouver Canucks have had zero luck when it comes to injuries this season, but tonight against the Montreal Canadiens they will be getting Connor Garland back, with Nikita Tolopilo set to start in relief of Thatcher Demko who was injured against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Canucks are not really playing for much after such a bad start to the season, but developing good habits can be carried into next year.
"Once the regular season concludes it's going to be very interesting to see whether or not the Vancouver Canucks continue with Patrik Allvin and Jim Rutherford at the helm, or if they'll make a big change in the front office, but a lot of it will come down to how much Francesco Aquilini trusts the duo to turn things around."-Jaxon

Connor Garland back in the lineup against the Montreal Canadiens.

Adam Kierszenblat of the Hockey News reported on Garlands return, and the expectations for Tolopilo, who during his first call up stint in the NHL was rather successful. Demko was placed on IR, meaning he will be out at least a week.
"After being called up on Sunday, Nikita Tolopilo is expected to start against the Canadiens. Monday will be Tolopilo's fourth NHL start of the season, with the 25-year-old posting a 2-1-0 record. Tolopilo had to be called up as Thatcher Demko was injured on Saturday. As for the forward group, Conor Garland is projected to replace Kiefer Sherwood, who is listed as day-to-day with an injury. Garland has not played since December 30 as he has been dealing with his own injury. In 33 games, Garland has scored seven goals while recording 22 points."-Kierszenblat

There isn't much hope for the Canucks this season, and that's alright, but they need to at least play with some pride for the second half of the year. The younger players need to learn what a winning culture is like, even if they aren't winning games. As well as learning to battle through adversity, with all thee injuries constantly happening, they need to learn how to deal with things when they aren't going your way.
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Vancouver Canucks' Conor Garland officially returns to the lineup as injuries continue to pile up

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