How Canucks’ Garland-Lindholm-Joshua Line Came to Be

Off the heels of a spectacular and relatively unexpected comeback win on Wednesday, many Vancouver Canucks are receiving their flowers for their performances. A near two-minute “J.T. MILLERRRR” chant after the Canucks’ third goal of the night, elated screams from the crowd after Nikita Zadorov tied it at four, and of course, the raucous noise pumping from the arena after Conor Garland scored the eventual game-winner. However, with all this fanfare around this wild third period, we can’t be too quick to dismiss the efforts that helped the team get to the tying point in the first place. 

It’s no secret that any line flanked by Conor Garland and Dakota Joshua has performed wonderfully this season. Previously being centred by Teddy Blueger, the duo have since stepped up their game throughout the playoffs while playing alongside the Canucks’ (kind of) trade-deadline acquisition Elias Lindholm. What kind of work went into building this line for the Canucks? Take a peek here.

Garland was acquired by the Vancouver Canucks on July 23rd, 2021, alongside veteran defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson. This trade saw the Canucks send the Arizona Coyotes a first-round pick (Dylan Guenther), Jay Beagle, Antoine Roussel, and fan-favourite Loui Eriksson. Many have criticized Vancouver for the trade — why would you trade away high-cap players who only have a year left in their contracts to take on even more money for an extended period of time? While we can’t say that this trade eventually worked out in favour of the Canucks, Garland has become an irreplaceable piece in this lineup that may just make the Vancouver fanbase forget about the potential of Dylan Guenther. 

Garland’s time with Vancouver has left a lasting impression on the fanbase. His first season with the team saw him sign a five-year contract with a $4.95 million AAV. As a response, he scored 52 points in 77 games, putting him in a tie with former Canucks captain Bo Horvat for fourth on the team in points that season. He followed that up with 46 points in 81 games. Halfway through this season, former Head Coach Bruce Boudreau was replaced with Garland’s former coach, Rick Tocchet. What stands out most about Garland’s game, however, is not the point totals. Any time you watch his shift, you’ll be sure to notice his unrelenting puck possession. Now, as the playoffs are in full swing, Garland’s attention to those smaller details are rewarding him with moments like these.

Garland’s partner-in-crime, Joshua, has feasted on the energy of playoff hockey as well. He’s currently averaging a point per game in this postseason, with his most notable game being the team’s first outing against Nashville (although, there’s definitely evidence to suggest that Game 1 against Edmonton could take this title, too). Joshua signed a two-year deal with Vancouver back on July 13th, 2022. He was a part of the St. Louis Blues organization before signing with the Canucks, but never played an entire regular season. His impact with Vancouver was felt immediately, putting up 11 goals and 12 assists in his first season with the Canucks. He provided depth scoring with a bit of toughness — something that Vancouver has been sorely missing. 

After a training camp that saw Rick Tocchet imply that Joshua needed to “pick it up,” the winger certainly ended up “picking things up” this regular season. Alongside Garland, the gritty winger put up 18 goals and 14 assists in 63 games, good for 32 points on the season (for those who, like me, aren’t great at math). His presence was most felt — or, in this instance, not felt — after he sustained an injury while fighting the Chicago Blackhawks’ MacKenzie Entwhistle. This stretch saw the team win only nine of 18 games. While this skid can’t entirely be chalked up to Joshua’s absence, the fact that the team gave up four power-play goals in one game against the Minnesota Wild demonstrates his impact on the team’s penalty kill.

Lindholm, the last piece of this puzzle for the Canucks, was acquired by the team on January 31st, 2024. Sent to Calgary Flames in exchange were Canucks forward Andrei Kuzmenko, defence prospects Hunter Brzustewicz and Joni Jurmo, and a first-round and conditional fourth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft.

His first game with Vancouver saw him notch two goals against one of his former teams, the Carolina Hurricanes. Throughout the rest of the regular season, Lindholm didn’t quite find a home on any particular lines. For a little bit, he was tested out with Elias Pettersson and Nils Höglander and then J.T. Miller and Brock Boeser, but none of those combinations seemed to stick. After sustaining a wrist injury that kept him out of the lineup after Vancouver’s matchup against the Calgary Flames on March 23rd, fans weren’t sure how he would fare in the playoffs. 

Whatever was ailing Lindholm’s wrist looks like it has been brushed aside. While he’s definitely come up big in those moments where the team needs someone to step up, the centre has also proven himself in other circumstances. In the thrilling 5–4 Game 1 win over Edmonton, Lindholm went 14 for 18 in the faceoff dot. Scoring goals is an important factor in winning hockey games — but players can’t get the puck unless a faceoff is won. Lindholm has delivered on that promise and more. 

The Canucks have taken massive strides to get to where they are now. Some players have been here all of their careers, while some have only boarded the ship this year. With a wide berth of experience with the Vancouver Canucks, the Garland-Lindholm-Joshua line has cemented themselves as standouts during this playoff run.

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