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Bo Horvat

New York Islanders Sign Bo Horvat To Eight-Year Contract Extension

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The New York Islanders have agreed to an eight-year contract extension with recent trade acquisition Bo Horvat. The terms of the contract have not been officially disclosed at this time, but Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the extension carries an $8.5MM average annual value. The deal will keep him under contract until he is 36 years old.

As reported by NYI Hockey Now’s Stefen Rosner, Islanders General Manager Lou Lamoriello had the following to say regarding this newly-signed extension: “It’s too long and it’s too much money.”

Lamoriello also noted that the contract was finalized as the first order of business this morning. When the Islanders initially acquired Horvat, the team had not yet discussed the framework for a contract extension.

The contract extension comes after the Islanders made a surprising trade to acquire the former Vancouver Canucks captain. The Islanders, who are already paying contracts with term attached to four centers, were not one of the teams most expected to be in the mix for Horvat’s services.

Given what the Islanders gave up to acquire Horvat, though, (a first-round pick Anthony Beauvillier, and prospect Aatu Raty) it makes sense that the team would be interested in retaining Horvat beyond this season.

The presence of Mathew Barzal ($9.15MM through 2031, kicking in next season), Brock Nelson ($6MM through 2025), Jean-Gabriel Pageau ($5MM through 2026) and Casey Cizikas ($2.5MM through 2027) didn’t stop Lamoriello from taking out his checkbook to pay for another pivot. With Horvat locked into the team’s forward core for the rest of the decade, it seems one of those Islanders will at least in the short term switch to the wing.

Horvat earns this max-term contract extension on the heels of the best offensive season of his career. Horvat’s career high in points is 61, and with 54 in 49 games this season he looks on pace to fly past that mark.

He already has 31 goals this year, which matches his previous high that he set last season. A two-time All-Star, Horvat is respected across the NHL for his leadership and two-way ability. Horvat has served as the Canucks’ captain for the past four years.

In his one taste of playoff action, he scored 12 points in 17 games, leading the Canucks to an upset victory over the St. Louis Blues in the first round and then through a seven-game dogfight where they nearly knocked off the first-seeded Vegas Golden Knights.

The playoffs are exactly where the Islanders are hoping to end up with Horvat, and despite long odds for this season this extension seems to be the franchise doubling down on their short-term competitive goals. It was only a short time ago that the Islanders looked like the second-best team in the NHL, losing back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals to the Tampa Bay Lightning, the latter series going all seven games.

At the moment, the Islanders sit sixth in the Metropolitan Division with 25-22-5 record and 55 points. While they’re technically just two points back of the Pittsburgh Penguins for the final Wild Card spot, the Penguins have three games in hand, and the Buffalo Sabres (who are above the Islanders with 56 points) have two games in hand.

Even if the Islanders fail to make the playoffs this season, it’s true that this extension will improve their team’s odds of getting there in subsequent seasons. Horvat is an unquestionably talented player and someone who can be a great second-line pivot on a contending team. The Islanders have Barzal as their incumbent first-line center, though it’s possible that this signing shifts Barzal to Horvat’s wing.

Horvat is one of the league’s better players at the faceoff dot, and has won 56% of his draws this season. In contrast, Barzal has won just 35.9% of his draws. Should head coach Lane Lambert prefer a better face-off man as his first-line center, Barzal could very well end up on the wing moving forward.

The Islanders have quite a few pricey contracts for veteran forwards on their books, and this deal only adds to it. Barzal, Nelson, Pageau, Anders Lee, Josh Bailey, Kyle Palmieri, Ryan Pulock, and Adam Pelech are all under contract beyond this season at above a $5MM cap hit. Horvat adds an $8.5MM hit on top of that and leaves the Islanders in a relatively precarious salary cap position.

With so much of their core locked into contracts, the team has been left with precious little wiggle room to make changes and upgrades to their roster. A rise in the salary cap would benefit them enormously, especially as Ilya Sorokin is scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2024.

This is an Islanders team that has severely underperformed relative to what their veteran players have been capable of producing in the past. If Lambert and his coaching staff can get a few of these underperforming veterans to pick things up, then this can be a very competitive team in the near future.

But that’s far from a given, and many of their players have been trending downward for multiple seasons. Such a trajectory might cause some franchises to consider pivoting toward younger players and building toward another competitive window. Other franchises, like the Islanders here with this extension, choose to acquire more veteran talent to supplement the players they already have.

There’s no exact right answer to the question of what to do with an underperforming team. There are major risks to trading quality players for draft picks and prospects, and the allure of a low-pressure rebuild can shroud the very real possibility that the prospects acquired don’t pan out and the draft picks selected don’t meet expectations.

Building a competitive NHL team is hard. It’s a steep challenge, and while Lamoriello himself stated that the price tag attached to this deal is a bit high, it’s also unavoidable. Giving talented players contracts that might be somewhat unsavory is simply the cost of doing business in the NHL. if a team wants to get better, this is usually the area of the market they need to shop in.

Is this extension risky? Absolutely. The Islanders could continue their downward trend and be locked into another pricey contract for an aging veteran. The deal would absolutely be a setback. But looking at things more generously, Horvat could be exactly the kind of player the Islanders need to spark a team-wide resurgence.

Although those long-term question marks linger, the Islanders have unquestionably improved with Horvat’s acquisition. With this Horvat extension, they have ensured the source of that improvement doesn’t end up leaving for another team in just a few months, which is a bit of business that’s difficult to complain about.

Evening Notes: Boeser, IIHF/Russia, NHLPA Leadership

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After the Bo Horvat trade yesterday, the floodgates appear to be opening on the trade front. That’s especially true for the Vancouver Canucks, who have some desirable trade assets other than Horvat that could find their way out of town by the trade deadline.

One of those is Brock Boeser, who TSN’s Darren Dreger said today continues to receive interest from around the league. However, he reported that any Boeser trade, and the corresponding interest, hinges on how much salary Vancouver is willing to retain in a potential trade. Boeser is signed to a steep cap hit of $6.65MM for the next three seasons. With so many teams already dipping into LTIR pools to stay cap-compliant, Vancouver is unlikely to find a trade partner willing to take the full brunt of the deal. The 25-year-old has nine goals and 30 points in 41 games this season. That’s a 60-point pace over 82 games.

Bo Horvat Reportedly “Open” To Extension With Islanders

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The New York Islanders made perhaps the biggest and most confusing splash of trade season yesterday, acquiring star sniper Bo Horvat from the Vancouver Canucks.

Critics of the trade question the Islanders’ gamble on a pending unrestricted free agent, notably with the team out of the playoff picture at the All-Star break. A contract extension between the two parties would ensure that New York’s concessions in the trade weren’t for naught.

The day after the trade, though, Pierre LeBrun reported on Tuesday’s edition of TSN’s Insider Trading that Horvat is “open” to contract extension talks with the Islanders. While not a certainty, it seems like the door is open for a long-term union between the two parties, even if New York can’t claw back into the playoff picture this season.

“[The contract talks] will commence in short order, is what I’m being told,” LeBrun said. He also noted that the Islanders would’ve been on Horvat’s list of teams to speak to had he gone to market on July 1, which is something to keep in mind as talks progress.

Only Oliver Wahlstrom is on the Islanders’ list of notable restricted free agents to lock up next offseason. His value is limited, considering his offensive inconsistency and the likelihood that he’s out of the lineup for the remainder of 2022-23 with an injury. He played just 35 games.

With that being said, the Islanders have slightly north of $16MM in cap space to play with for 2023-24, per CapFriendly. Semyon Varlamov and Scott Mayfield are also pending UFAs whose roles on the roster need to be replaced, but could likely be done for cheaper than their current combined cap hits of $6.45MM.

If the two sides can agree on an extension, the Islanders have the space to give Horvat a deal with a cap hit north of $8MM, the likely benchmark for his caliber of talent. The merits of such a contract, considering his sky-high 21.7 shooting percentage this season signals some regression ahead, can be debated.

Snapshots: Canucks, Wahlstrom, Leskinen

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No matter which side you came down on regarding the Vancouver Canucks-New York Islanders trade from last night, it was still something of a surprise. Many felt that the Islanders made a mistake by using futures in a season where they are struggling, while others believed the Canucks could have landed more for Bo Horvat. If you’re in the latter group, you probably won’t like hearing Kevin Weekes’ latest report for ESPN.

Weekes tweets that another club involved in the Horvat dealings told him the Canucks didn’t shop the offer around, seeing if anyone could beat it. Instead, they “locked in” on the package that the Islanders were putting on the table, which included Anthony Beauvillier, Aatu Raty, and a first-round pick.

  • Another thing to consider for the Islanders might have been the status of Oliver Wahlstrom, who according to David Pagnotta of the Fourth Period, may not return this season. The 22-year-old Wahlstrom doesn’t play the same position as Horvat, but was one of the team’s more offensively-driven players, and has been out since December. Wahlstrom had seven goals and 16 points in 35 games this year.
  • He’s not the only player who is out for the year. Montreal Canadiens depth defenseman Otto Leskinen has been shut down after hip surgery, ending his season after just 24 games with the Laval Rocket. With Leskinen’s one-year contract up at the end of the year, it might be back to Europe for him moving forward. The 25-year-old played six games for the Canadiens, none of them coming this season.

East Notes: Senators, Horvat, Perbix

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There’s some good news and bad news on the injury front for Ottawa.  On the positive side, TSN’s Claire Hanna relays (Twitter link) that defenseman Artem Zub is expected to be ready to return after the All-Star break.  It has been a tough year on the ice for the 27-year-old who has been limited to just 21 games this season while missing time with three separate injuries, the current one being an upper-body issue.  It hasn’t been all bad, however, as he inked a four-year, $18.4MM extension with the Senators last month.

Meanwhile, Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch relays (Twitter link) that goaltender Cam Talbot might not be ready to return after the break.  He suffered a lower-body injury last Wednesday and it’s the second time this season that injuries have held him out of the lineup.  If the Senators are going to climb back into the playoff race, they’ll need him healthy while if they’re going to try to move him by the March 3rd trade deadline, he’ll need to get back and show potential suitors that he’s ready to go.

Elsewhere in the East:

  • Speaking with reporters including Harman Dayal of The Athletic (Twitter link) following today’s trade, Islanders center Bo Horvat indicated that there weren’t any discussions regarding a possible extension before the move was made. The 27-year-old is set to earn a significant raise on his current $5.5MM AAV and is well on his way to a career year as he already has 31 goals and 23 assists so far this season.  New York has a little over $67MM in commitments next season per CapFriendly and a new deal for Horvat would take up more than half of the space of what’s projected to be an $83.5MM cap for 2023-24.
  • Nick Perbix’s time in the minors was short-lived as the Lightning recalled him today, per the AHL’s transactions log. The defenseman was sent down yesterday when Rudolfs Balcers came off LTIR following the conclusion of his conditioning stint; Perbix had to go down to keep them cap-compliant.  Now that Balcers is off the roster (he was sent down after clearing waivers), the 24-year-old could be brought back.  Tampa Bay could have kept him down through the All-Star break if they wanted but there wouldn’t have been a cap benefit to do so as they’re still in LTIR where cap room can’t be banked.

New York Islanders Acquire Bo Horvat

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The New York Islanders have acquired center Bo Horvat from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for forwards Anthony Beauvillier, Aatu Raty, and a lottery-protected 2023 first-round pick. The trade was announced officially by both teams Monday afternoon.  Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press notes that Vancouver is retaining 25% of Horvat’s $5.5MM AAV as part of the deal.

New York will retain their 2023 first-round pick if it’s among the top 12 selections, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Assumedly, if the pick does land in the top 12, the Islanders would send Vancouver their 2024 first-round selection.

The trade call ends months of speculation about a Horvat trade, which really began as soon as the Canucks fell flat out of the gate to start the season. With the team’s poor defense and goaltending rendering them entirely out of the playoff picture, Horvat’s status as a pending unrestricted free agent made him a spectacular trade candidate.

Vancouver’s now-former captain had always been perceived as a strong top-six center with good two-way skills and was especially appreciated for his strong marks in the faceoff circle (56.6% over the past two seasons). Horvat’s goal-scoring exploded this season, though, and his 31 goals rank eighth in the NHL.

Those 31 goals and Horvat’s 54 points instantly make him the Islanders’ leader in both categories this season. If utilized on a line with Mathew Barzal, whose main weakness is faceoffs (just 35.9% this season), the Islanders suddenly have one of the most potent playmaking/scoring duos in the league now.

Some may argue, and they’d be valid to do so, that the value in this trade swings the way of the Islanders and general manager Lou Lamoriello. At first glance, the price doesn’t seem quite as astronomically high as previously rumored.

Yet there’s no report of an extension for Horvat, and with Lamoriello’s low success rate of signing unrestricted free agents, there’s no guarantee Horvat is more than a rental. The team’s roster isn’t terribly well set up with Horvat, either. There’s certainly a scenario 18 months from now where the Islanders end up with no Horvat, no top prospect in Raty, and without a high-end pick in the 2024 draft.

With the Islanders still out of a playoff spot and a month before the Trade Deadline, Horvat may not even finish the season on Long Island. If the team fails to gain much ground in the playoff race or in extension talks with Horvat, he could be flipped to a contending team at the deadline if the Islanders can garner a similar (or better) return on the trade market.

While Vancouver won’t be adding to their Connor Bedard odds as the pick is top-12 protected, they still get a second dip from a 2023 first round stocked with talented prospects. Add in Raty, who’s looking much more like the first-round talent he was expected to be after falling to 52nd overall in the 2021 draft, and Vancouver’s future outlook suddenly looks much brighter.

The Canucks also gain a solid top-nine winger in Beauvillier, although his $4.15MM cap hit through 2024 is a tad steep. He’s still a solid bet to net between 30 and 40 points per season and could be solid trade bait for the Canucks at next year’s trade deadline as well. The 25-year-old has nine goals and 20 points in 49 games this year.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Latest On Bo Horvat

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The Vancouver Canucks have an anchor around their necks. The team has lost eight of ten, appear to be on the brink of a coaching change, and seems to be ready to move on from captain Bo Horvat. President Jim Rutherford recently explained that the team’s best offer didn’t line up with Horvat’s performance this season, suggesting an extension wasn’t going to be possible.

One other notable thing about Rutherford is that he often likes to make his big midseason moves well ahead of the trade deadline. He’s often been the first to act in an arms race, and now the spotlight is on him as a seller. On the latest 32 Thoughts podcast, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet discussed which teams he has heard most connected to Horvat:

I think Seattle’s in it. I think Minnesota’s been around it, but can only do him as a rental. I think Boston’s been around it, but it is not easy for them to do. 

The Carolina Hurricanes have also been linked to the Horvat sweepstakes, especially since Max Pacioretty’s injury last night. Friedman noted several times that the Hurricanes “don’t do rentals,” suggesting that a deal like that would need to come with an extension.

That is perhaps the most interesting part of the Horvat situation. Sometimes, players on expiring contracts are looking forward to testing the full open market. It doesn’t matter where they are or where they end up, the process of free agency is something they want to experience. From the outside, that doesn’t seem to be the case with Horvat’s negotiations in Vancouver. From all reports, he has been working in good faith with the desire to stay long-term with the Canucks – the two sides just can’t find a common ground.

If he is dealt, especially if it is soon, an acquiring team would have a little while to convince him to stay. Friedman reports that as of the podcast taping (Thursday night), no teams have been given permission to talk with Horvat’s representatives on an extension.

There are probably a dozen teams in the league that could use the 27-year-old for a serious playoff run, especially as he works his way through a career year. Already to 30 goals, his assists have also recently started to rack up, giving Horvat 49 points in 44 games. Positional versatility, goal scoring, leadership – all things that teams value greatly this time of year (anytime, really). A Horvat move could legitimately change the makeup of a team’s top-six for years to come, or offer a difference-making third-line pivot for a Stanley Cup run.

Evening Notes: Canucks, O’Brien, Broberg, Barkov, MacEwen

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When looking back on previous NHL seasons, each seems to have one or two stories that, even if it wasn’t the most memorable part of that season, dominated the headlines. Last season, that story seemed to be the availability of Jakob Chychrun, which has carried into this season, and the year before was COVID absences and protocols, which carried into last season too. This season’s headlines, besides Chychrun, seem to be dominated by the Vancouver Canucks: their struggles, their work on extensions, and now, the availability of their players in trades.

Earlier this evening on Hockey Night in Canada’s 32 Thoughts segment, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman continued that discussion. Friedman clarified the Canucks’ position, who apparently have just one untouchable player: Elias Pettersson. That one might feel obvious, but immediately begs another question: what about Quinn Hughes? As Friedman reports, while Hughes isn’t an untouchable, it would take “an absolutely mammoth offer” to pry the defenseman away from the Canucks. Despite having just the one untouchable, Friedman adds that the team isn’t interested in a rebuild or complete teardown, but instead is looking to change their mix and breath new life into the team. Finally from Friedman, it appears Vancouver isn’t willing to give Bo Horvat more than the $56MM J.T. Miller was extended for, however Horvat’s career-year has now put him over that number.

  • Arizona Coyotes forward Liam O’Brien is out week-to-week with an upper-body injury suffered last night against the New York Islanders, the team announced. The forward played just 9:41 last night in the win over the Islanders, lower than his 12:01 average this season. Not shy from fighting, it is notable that O’Brien did have a fight in the third period against Islanders’ defenseman Scott Mayfield, who’s experienced in that regard too.
  • Edmonton Oilers defenseman Philip Broberg, who was scratched for today’s loss to the Anaheim Ducks, missed the game with an injury he suffered yesterday, head coach Jay Woodcroft confirmed postgame, via The Athletic’s Daniel Nugent-Bowman. Given Broberg’s play in 11 games this season, a healthy scratch wouldn’t be confusing, but certainly wasn’t deserved either, so news of an injury does make sense. It also further explains the decision to recall fellow defenseman Markus Niemelainen yesterday. Woodcroft did not elaborate further on the details or severity of Broberg’s injury.
  • Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov was forced to leave tonight’s game against the New Jersey Devils early with a lower-body injury, the team announced. Barkov appeared to be experiencing some discomfort after taking a faceoff earlier in the game. The center has played the last five games after missing two weeks with a bout of pneumonia. The extent of Barkov’s injury is unclear at this point.
  • Philadelphia Flyers forward Zack MacEwen missed this evening’s game against the New York Rangers with an illness, reports The Athletic’s Charlie O’Connor. Of course, no forced absence is a good thing, however one would expect an injury to carry a shorter timeframe, which would be preferable to getting MacEwen back into the lineup. MacEwen has just eight points in 28 games this season, but with Philadelphia showing value in grit this year, the forward’s 38 penalty minutes are much appreciated.

Latest On Bo Horvat

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Dec 13: With speculation running wild, Horvat has (very unusually) released a statement through the club:

I am focused on this season and playing for the Vancouver Canucks, helping the team in any way I can. I will not have any further comments this year about my future.

Dec 12: While there’s been near-weekly reports about the Vancouver Canucks and Bo Horvat growing further apart in extension negotiations, it seems today’s update might be the nail in the coffin for Horvat’s future in British Columbia. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun added to a report from CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal that Horvat rejected an offer from the Canucks “a couple of weeks ago,” saying the team is now entirely focused on Horvat’s trade market between now and the March 3 deadline.

Speculation will now be entirely focused on potential destinations and, more so for Canucks fans, possible return packages.

It’s a foregone conclusion that the Canucks would ask for a high-end defense prospect as the centerpiece of any Horvat trade. The 2023 NHL Draft, while stacked, is weak with defensemen, especially near the top. For the team’s most significant area of need, trading for an already-drafted defenseman will likely spark the team’s pool of young players.

Trading for Ethan Bear helped in the short-term for Vancouver, who was bleeding goals against early in the season. But it doesn’t solve the issue that Jack Rathbone, a 95th overall pick, remains the organization’s top prospect on defense.

When you think of contenders looking to add at center at the deadline, you think of the Colorado Avalanche. It does make sense that they would have an interest in Horvat when the time comes, but whether there’s a trade fit there is less certain. Considering Bowen Byram is likely untouchable, the organization doesn’t have any under-23 defensemen that would move the needle for Vancouver.

There is, however, Samuel Girard. If Vancouver remains insistent on making moves like a team with playoff aspirations, that acquisition could make some sense. He’s off to yet another disappointing start this season though, with just five points in 20 games. While it looked like a sure bet two years ago that Girard would develop into a high-end top-four defenseman, doubts are beginning to grow.

For now, it’s wait-and-see time for the Canucks. Horvat’s value is at its peak with his goal-scoring through the roof, leading to what could be a franchise-altering deadline deal.

Latest On Bo Horvat

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With every day that passes, it seems a new report emerges about the lack of progress in Bo Horvat extension talks. Today, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet writes that “it’s not trending well.” Horvat is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season.

Of course, some of the same things were said this summer about the Vancouver Canucks and J.T. Miller, before the two sides eventually agreed on a seven-year, $56MM extension that includes a full-no-movement clause through 2026-27. Most insiders at the time had expected the Canucks to trade Miller instead of extending him, something that obviously didn’t happen as the veteran forward instead cashed in with a deal that includes $8.5MM in signing bonuses the first year.

So, until he actually hits the open market or is traded, things could change with regard to Horvat. But it is Miller’s contract that might end up forcing the Canucks to move on. The team is not good enough to contend for the Stanley Cup right now, despite a pair of crazy victories in recent days, and also has several expensive, underperforming contracts on the books.

Miller is still scoring at a good clip but has been anything but consistent this year, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson’s deal looks like one of the worst in the league as he plays through his age-31 season. The veteran defenseman will carry a $7.26MM cap hit for another four more years (and that’s not counting the portion the Arizona Coyotes are retaining).

Signing Horvat, then, would just add more money onto the pile without actually improving the Canucks roster. There’s no doubt that the 27-year-old center will be commanding more than his current $5.4MM cap hit in a new deal, especially after scoring 20 goals in his first 20 games this year. Goal-scoring centers are some of the highest-paid commodities in the league, as seen by Miller’s massive extension after a career-best 32 goals in 2021-22.

It should be noted that Horvat does not have trade protection in his current deal, meaning the Canucks could auction him off if necessary. Friedman notes that Canucks president Jim Rutherford will likely wait until February to try and squeeze the most value out of any deal, and suggests Luke Schenn as another chip he could cash in.

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