from Iain MacIntyre of Sportsnet,

After experiencing three coaches, two general managers and countless trade rumours during his two seasons of turmoil in the Vancouver Canucks’ maelstrom, Conor Garland is accustomed to hearing things.

The 27-year-old winger from Boston, who embraced the idea of a frantic Canadian market when former general manager Jim Benning acquired him from the Arizona Coyotes two summers ago, has exited social media as a survival instinct.

He noted last season that the start of trade rumours attached to him coincided with the start of the five-year, $24.75-million-US contract he signed right after he was traded.

Garland has heard a lot of things during his two seasons. But when he arrived back in Vancouver earlier this month to join teammates skating ahead of training camp, Garland heard something new. It was strange, foreign, almost eerie. It was. . . quiet.

“Yeah, for sure it feels different,” Garland said Monday in his first interview since returning to the West Coast. “Guys got out here early for a reason; everybody's excited and we're working hard on our skates. It just has a different feel.

“Last year was a little bit of a distracted feeling. There was a lot going on. Our captain situation, the coaching situation, we had a lot going on. So it's nice that it's quiet. And now it's up to us.”

There’s nothing going on now except preparation.

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