It was a trade that came together relatively quickly for the Vancouver Canucks.<\/p>\n
And perhaps, there\u2019s a reason for that.<\/p>\n
Leading up to the NHL trade deadline, it had been reported that the Canucks were listening on Conor Garland, but really didn\u2019t have much desire to trade him.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI think a lot of what happened before the Olympic break, the Canucks were saying, \u2018we\u2019ll listen on Garland, but we don\u2019t want to move him,’\u201d CHEK\u2019s Rick Dhaliwal said Friday on Sportsnet 650\u2019s Halford and Brough.<\/p>\n That changed during the February break.<\/p>\n The Canucks entered the Olympic break with a stranglehold on last place in the NHL. They clearly needed to try and sell players for draft picks, but their ability to do so was hampered by the barrage of underperforming veterans on the roster.<\/p>\n One player who seemed to be gaining traction<\/a> on the trade market was Garland.<\/p>\n Dhaliwal reported following the trade that as many as eight teams were in on Garland, but four were pushing hard as negotiations entered the final stretch. He mentioned that three of those teams included the Washington Capitals, Boston Bruins and of course, the Columbus Blue Jackets.<\/p>\n The New York Islanders were in on it too, according to Dhaliwal, but they wanted the Canucks to take a player back.<\/p>\n Following the trade, both Dhaliwal and Sportsnet\u2019s Elliotte Friedman confirmed that there was one key figure who helped this deal reach the finish line.<\/p>\n \u201cThe agent involved here, who\u2019s Judd Moldaver, really pushed for [the trade],\u201d Friedman said on Sportsnet 650\u2019s Halford and Brough.<\/p>\n This isn\u2019t the first time this season that the agent has played a big part in the trade process. The same thing happened when the Canucks dealt Hughes.<\/p>\n