Donnie & Dhali: Rick Dhaliwal and Don Taylor on the latest involving Conor Garland and the Vancouver Canucks.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Taylor: “You had some news regarding Conor Garland.”
Dhaliwal: “Well, I just wanted to say this Donnie. I was told night that both sides continue to work the phones, the Canucks and Garland’s new agent Judd Muldaver. Muldaver, um.
Taylor: “Is it Muldaver Muldaver?”
Dhaliwal: “You’re looking at me, and waiting for me to screw up the name.”
Taylor: “What’s his old agent?”
Dhaliwal: “Peter Cooney. Good guy, Peter Cooney. Let me get going here.”
Taylor: “So Muldaver isn’t a good guy?”
Dhaliwal: “No, but Cooney’s a good guy. I’ve known him 20-30 years. Good guy.
Muldaver knows this contract Donnie with term in a capped out NHL won’t be easy. The agent is going to need help from the Canucks.
Retaining on Garland or adding a sweetener, that’s what, that’s what teams want. Teams think that Garland is a $3 million player, not a $5 million player. That’s why the Canucks haven’t been able to move him for the past year.
If the Canucks can retain 30 percent Don, that’s $1.5 million, that makes the agents’ job a whole lot easier. That’s the word out there. That if the Canucks can get to $1.5 (million) on retention, it’s gonna help.”
Taylor: “Okay, can I just say something here? ”
Dhaliwal: “Go ahead.”
Taylor: “Okay, those numbers are fabulous. Outstanding. For that we’ll get you a gift certificate to Sammy J Peppers, but there’s a couple teams interested in Conor Garland, right?”
Dhaliwal: “Yeah. I’m getting to that. That was next. My goodness.
There are teams interested. I was told last night Nashville and someone told me Winnipeg. There’s others as well.
You know why there’s teams interested? Because they’ve been trying to move the guy for over a year Don.
So anyways, that’s the good news. There is interest in the player. But sadly for the Canucks the interest is not there at $4.9 million. They got to get that number down.”
