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Bo Horvat

Bo Horvat Signs Six-Year Contract With Vancouver Canucks

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The Vancouver Canucks have signed their young center Bo Horvat today to a six year contract worth $5.5MM per season. Horvat is coming off his entry-level contract, and had discussed everything from two-year bridge deals to eight-year extensions. A long-term deal always seemed like the eventual outcome, and Horvat will be giving up two unrestricted free agent years to stay in Vancouver. The deal contains no signing bonuses or trade protection, and the breakdown is as follows:

  • 2017-18: $6.5MM
  • 2018-19: $7.0MM
  • 2019-20: $5.775MM
  • 2020-21: $3.5MM
  • 2021-22: $5.775MM
  • 2022-23: $4.45MM

"<strongThe 22-year old Horvat was selected ninth-overall by the Canucks in 2013, and has turned out to be everything the team hoped for. His game is developing into that of a true number one center, capable of leading a team offensively and playing well enough to hold his own in the defensive zone. In just his third season he topped the Canucks with 52 points, coming in just ahead of Henrik Sedin in a metaphorical passing of the torch. The Sedins, so long the faces of the Vancouver franchise, will start to take a back seat to Horvat and the other young stars coming through the system.

Horvat was never expected to be a dynamic, league-leading type of offensive player. Even in London, where he played his junior hockey with the Knights in the OHL, he took on a two-way role behind Max Domi (now with the Arizona Coyotes) and other offensive stars. He used a heavy frame to do his fair share of scoring, but now there may be even more upside to his game. Horvat’s 20 goals included just three on the powerplay, a number that is sure to increase as the Sedin’s move on. Interestingly, it also included two short-handed goals, an area which he’ll likely excel throughout his career. Like Mikko Koivu in Minnesota, being a number 1 isn’t always about putting up 80+ point seasons.

The $5.5MM cap hit is a reasonable number for the Canucks, as other players are being paid more and more just out of the entry-level deals. Horvat’s contract will come in at the same amount as Jonathan Drouin, a fellow 2013 draftee that had similar production last year. While Drouin has considerable offensive upside, he also hasn’t proven himself at center thus far in his career. He’ll have a chance to do that in Montreal this year, but Horvat will likely remain the more natural player in the middle. Alexander Wennberg, another comparable to Horvat just signed a six-year deal for only $4.9MM, which looks better and better for the Blue Jackets as the weeks go on.

Vancouver doesn’t have a ton to worry about cap-wise at the moment, as this will mark the last year of the Sedin’s current contracts and with it will open up $14MM. With the team rebuilding, there will be plenty of room to fit Horvat’s number in going forward. If he takes another step offensively this could even look like one of the biggest bargains in a few years, especially if the salary cap goes up in the coming years (which is far from guaranteed).

Bob McKenzie of TSN first gave us the details and confirmed the deal was done.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Snapshots: Daly, Deadline, Horvat

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In one of the more interesting pieces of hockey journalism this summer, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic shadowed NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly for an entire day, chronicling his routine and the sort of things he has to deal with on a daily basis. LeBrun was obviously pushed out of the room on several occasions, but was also allowed some internal league access rarely given to media members in any sport.

One of the more interesting things (in a piece filled with them) is that the league has yet to create a memo to explain to teams the penalty for any player that leaves the league for the Olympics mid-season. Even though there have been various players threatening to go anyway, Daly and the league “don’t believe it’s going to be an issue.” The likely result of any country trying to use an NHL athlete would be disqualification from the tournament, as the IIHF has made it clear they will honor the league’s decision to not attend.

  • The NHL Trade Deadline will be Monday, February 26th this season, the day after the gold medal game at the Olympics. That gives any player who is in Europe or on an AHL contract enough time to sign with a team and be eligible for the NHL playoffs. Remember, teams can still technically make trades and signings after the deadline, but any player not on their reserve list (which includes unsigned draft picks) by then are ineligible for the postseason. Jaromir Jagr, for instance, could play in the Olympics and still have a chance to suit up for an NHL club down the stretch.
  • Elliotte Friedman joined Sportsnet 650 radio this morning, and spoke about the incoming Bo Horvat contract. The deal for Horvat seems imminent, and Friedman thinks that a long-term deal “is better for both the player and the team. “ He also points to Jonathan Drouin’s six-year contract with a $5.5MM salary, and Aleksander Barkov’s $5.9MM cap hit as potential comparable numbers for each side. Horvat is currently a restricted free agent, but is the new face of the Vancouver Canucks franchise.

Morning Notes: Jets, Karlsson, Horvat

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Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet is hearing that there are incoming extensions for GM Kevin Cheveldayoff and head coach Paul Maurice, keeping the duo in Winnipeg for the next few years. The Jets came closer to the playoffs than many remember last year, finishing ninth in the Western Conference with 87 points. With a young group of forwards led by Mark Scheifele, Patrik Laine and Nikolaj Ehlers, the Jets will be a tough contender in the battle for the playoffs once again. With Steve Mason in net, perhaps they’ll finally get the goaltending required to take the next step.

In terms of Cheveldayoff, his biggest task in the near future could once again be Jacob Trouba. After a holdout last season that leaked into November and came with a trade demand, Trouba eventually signed a two-year $6MM contract with the Jets and went on to have an excellent season in an increased role. Trouba’s complaints were mostly about playing time and future, and it seems that he’s now passed Tyler Myers on the depth chart in Winnipeg. We’ll have to wait and see if that’s enough to get Trouba to sign a long-term deal next summer, or if the young defenseman again wants out of town.

  • Erik Karlsson hasn’t resumed skating according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, and still isn’t sure if he’ll be ready for opening day. Karlsson underwent surgery on his foot and ankle in June and was given a four month timeline for recovery. Karlsson is part of the media tour for the NHL and NHLPA’s Declaration of Principals, which hope to help establish guidelines for inclusivity from minor hockey to the professional ranks. Dan Rosen of NHL.com has the entire Declaration, which apparently was the brainchild of Pat Lafontaine and Luc Robitaille after a trip to the Vatican. The announcement even included a letter from the Pope endorsing the program.
  • Bob McKenzie of TSN returned from his summer vacation to give us a bit of information on the ongoing Bo Horvat negotiations. He believes the two sides are closing in on a deal, and speculates it would be in the range of six or seven years at a salary between $5-6MM. We’ve heard that the Vancouver Canucks and Horvat have discussed everything from a bridge deal to an eight-year contract, with the latter seeming less likely. Horvat is one of several high profile free agents left to sign, but there never seemed to be much doubt that a contract would eventually be signed.

West Notes: Horvat, Auvitu, Stars

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The Canucks are hopeful to get a contract in place for Bo Horvat within the next week, GM Jim Benning told Sportsnet 650 in Vancouver (audio link).  He classified recent discussions as “going well” and that progress was made on a deal last week.

Horvat is one of the most prominent remaining restricted free agents after a season that saw him record 52 points (20-32-52) in 81 games to lead the team in scoring.  With the Sedin twins nearing the end of their careers, the 22-year-old is set to lead Vancouver’s forward group for years to come so it’s likely that a long-term deal is still being targeted.  There were suggestions late last week that a bridge deal was all but done but Canucks team president Trevor Linden denied that a short-term pact was in place.  Cap space shouldn’t be a factor as the team still has more than $5MM in room to work with per CapFriendly (an amount that will go up as their roster size shrinks closer to 23).

More from the West:

  • David Staples of the Edmonton Journal takes a closer look at Edmonton offseason acquisition Yohann Auvitu who is expected to push for a roster spot at camp, especially with Andrej Sekera still out for a few more months. Auvitu split last season between New Jersey and their AHL affiliate and while his defensive game wasn’t the greatest, his mobility and puck moving ability could fit in well with an Oilers team that is filled with skill and a lot of up-tempo players.
  • Although the Stars have added a more defensive-minded coach in Ken Hitchcock as well as Marc Methot in a trade with the Golden Knights, Puck Daddy’s Ryan Lambert opines that Dallas could still be a bit too thin defensively, at least when it comes to impact players. Depth at the back of the depth chart shouldn’t be an issue with players like Jamie Oleksiak and Greg Pateryn in the fold but another impact blueliner would certainly be helpful.  However, they’re capped out so they will hope that a youngster like Stephen Johns and Julius Honka can take on bigger roles while veteran Dan Hamhuis will be counted on to rebound from a quiet season.

West Notes: Stars, Perreault, Horvat

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With the Stars adding Martin Hanzal this summer to a center group that already featured Tyler Seguin and Jason Spezza, it seemed like there was going to be somewhat of a logjam, especially with Hanzal receiving top-six money ($4.75MM).  Speaking with Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News, head coach Ken Hitchcock indicated that the team views Hanzal as someone who will strictly play down the middle while it will be Spezza that will shift to the left wing.  Hitchcock did add that he envisions Spezza will still see some time at his natural position and that Radek Faksa, a natural center in his own right, is also a candidate to shift to the wing and could potentially line up alongside Hanzal.

More from the Western Conference:

  • Jets forward Mathieu Perreault played through back issues last season, he noted to reporters, including Mike Sawatzky of the Winnipeg Free Press. He attributed the problem to his time at center when Bryan Little was out of the lineup early on in the season.  Because of those back troubles (which he has now recovered from), the 29-year-old indicated that he would prefer to stay as a winger heading into training camp.  Perreault is coming off of a career year offensively with 45 points despite missing 17 games with various injuries.
  • Jason Botchford of the Vancouver Province suggests (audio link) that a bridge deal is near completion for Canucks RFA Bo Horvat and could already be finalized. However, team president Trevor Linden told Ed Willes, also of the Vancouver Province (Twitter link) that there is no bridge contract in place.  Horvat is coming off a 52 point season and is expected to be a long-term fixture in Vancouver’s lineup.  Even with today’s signing of Thomas Vanek, the team has more than $5MM in cap space to work with per CapFriendly (and that’s with a roster of 26 players) so his addition shouldn’t prevent them financially from working out a long-term deal with Horvat.

Poll: Which Restricted Free Agents Will Miss The Start Of The Season?

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After Toronto Maple Leafs’ forward Connor Brown signed this weekend, the count is now fourteen on remaining restricted free agents still to sign. David Pastrnak, Alexander Wennberg and Bo Horvat lead the group, while Damon Severson, Sam Bennett and Andreas Athanasiou all represent important players on their clubs.

While most of these fourteen will surely sign within the next few weeks and be ready for the start of the season, there are often a few that take a little longer to sign. Last year we saw Rickard Rakell, Hampus Lindholm and Jacob Trouba all sign contracts after the regular season had begun. Though Rakell was injured and wouldn’t return until the beginning of November anyway, the other two missed important game action that could have cost their teams in the standings.

With the end of August upon us, there could be more examples of RFAs holding out into the season. Below we’re asking you to vote on who you think will be left without a contract come the beginning of the year. Every RFA that has yet to be officially signed by his team is listed. You can vote for as many as you want, and make sure to leave how many games you think they’ll each miss in the comments.

[Mobile users click here to vote!]

Canucks Notes: Horvat, Pettersson, Kerfoot

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Trevor Linden joined TSN 1040 yesterday in Vancouver, and spoke on a variety of issues including the pending contract for restricted free agent Bo Horvat. Linden explained that the two sides have discussed contracts everywhere between two and eight years, and that the negotiations are still ongoing.

We’re looking forward to getting Bo under contract. Out of respect for the process I don’t want to say a whole lot, but things have been very positive. We’re moving along and I don’t see any issues.

As Linden explains, negotiations with a player like Horvat were never going to be completed quickly but both he and GM Jim Benning haven’t been worried at all. Addressing the previous reports that eight years was off the table, Linden was non-committal, but did say “anything is a possibility.”

  • Talking about their newest top prospect Elias Pettersson, Linden said that he’s been impressed every time he’s watched him. Pettersson is currently playing for Vaxjo in the European Champions League, and won’t be attending camp for the Canucks. He’ll be given a bigger role in the Swedish Hockey League this year, and could compete for an NHL spot next season.
  • Linden said that the Canucks were indeed after Alex Kerfoot, but mentioned that him being from Vancouver actually could have worked against them. Kerfoot signed in Colorado, citing a good opportunity for him to jump right to the NHL. He also confirmed that the Canucks are not in on Will Butcher or any other NCAA free agents. Butcher is expected to sign this Sunday, and Vancouver has never been involved.
  • Though many believe that Vancouver’s free agent additions of Sam Gagner, Alexander Burmistrov and Michael Del Zotto all could be flipped at some point as the team rebuilds, Linden spoke about how each of them fits a hole that Vancouver had last season. He also was very clear that they didn’t want to just give big roles to their young players, and instead make them earn their opportunity in the NHL.

Snapshots: Coyotes, Granlund, Horvat, Heeter

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The Arizona Coyotes are excited about their offseason moves, and perhaps none more than Oliver Ekman-Larsson. The Coyotes star defenseman has gained a friend and pairing in Niklas Hjalmarsson, who has played with him on the international stage in the past. The two Swedes will team up on Arizona’s first pair this season and try to make some noise in the Western Conference. Speaking with Dave Vest of NHL.com, Ekman-Larsson spoke about his new teammate:

I’m super excited about [playing with Hjalmarsson]. He’s super easy to play with. He talks a lot and he’s a good skater and moves the puck. I would say he’s underrated.

While Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook got a lot of the national press out of Chicago, any Blackhawks fan will tell you that Hjalmarsson was an integral piece to the three Stanley Cup teams. He was a defensive rock for the club for many years, and will try to allow Ekman-Larsson to open up his game a little bit while still taking on the tough matchups.

  • Michael Russo of the Star Tribune reports that Mikael Granlund rolled his ankle in Finland and has been seen on crutches, but is still expected to be ready for training camp. It will slow down the young forward’s offseason training, but luckily he seems to have escaped serious injury. Granlund will be relied upon heavily for the Minnesota Wild this season after signing a three-year, $17.25MM contract this summer.
  • In other Granlund news, Rick Dhaliwal of NEWS 1130 reports that Markus Granlund’s wrist is fully healthy and the Vancouver Canucks forward is already skating. Granlund underwent surgery in March to correct an ongoing issue, but is “100%” and ready for training camp. Coming off a 19-goal season, he could jump onto a top-line role once again for the Canucks.
  • Granlund also told Dhaliwal that he thinks Bo Horvat’s new contract will be done soon. Horvat is still sitting as a restricted free agent even though Canucks’ GM Jim Benning has been clear he wants to lock him up long-term. The young center will likely be the new face of the franchise in Vancouver once the Sedin twins leave town, and will be looking for a contract which adequately compensates him for that.
  • The Toronto Marlies have signed a goaltender to work with Garret Sparks this year. The team announced they’ve signed Cal Heeter to a one-year AHL deal, bringing him in after a solid end of the season with the Calder Cup champion Grand Rapids Griffins. Antoine Bibeau, the previous goaltender for the Marlies was not given a qualifying offer this spring and signed with the San Jose Sharks.

A Recent History Of Late-Summer RFA Signings

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The hockey world has been swirling around David Pastrnak for the past few days, as negotiations with the Boston Bruins drag on late into the summer. Fans of the team are beginning to get nervous that there might be something standing in the way of a long-term deal, even while the Bruins’ front office assures everyone that they won’t be moving on from their young star. It’s not just Pastrnak though, as this summer seems to have a disproportional amount of high-level restricted free agents still unsigned into the middle of August. Leon Draisaitl, Alexander Wennberg, Bo Horvat, Connor Brown, Damon Severson and Andreas Athanasiou and many more are waiting for their next contracts and inching closer and closer to missing some of training camp.

Naturally, anyone’s instinct is to think that the longer the negotiation goes on, the more animosity can be built between the two sides. This is simply not true, and it’s been shown time and again that some RFAs—especially those who are coming off exceptional seasons—are in for long negotiations. It’s hard to remember how many players make it late in the summer without contracts once the season begins, so here is some of the history of some high profile late-summer RFA signings the last few years:

2016

Sean Monahan signs on August 19th. Seven years, $44.6MM.

Cody Ceci signs on August 23rd. Two years, $5.6MM.

Ryan Strome signs on September 20th. Two years, $5.0MM.

Johnny Gaudreau signs on October 10th. Six years, $40.5MM.

Nikita Kucherov signs on October 11th. Three years, $14.3MM.

Rasmus Ristolainen signs on October 11th. Six years, $32.4MM.

2015

Jonathan Bernier signs on August 2nd. Two years, $8.3MM.

Brock Nelson signs on September 16th. Three years, $7.5MM.

2014

P.K. Subban signs on August 2nd. Eight years, $72MM.

Tyson Barrie signs on September 7th. Two years, $5.2MM.

Danny DeKeyser signs on September 20th. Two years, $4.4MM.

Nino Niederreiter signs on September 20th. Three years, $8MM.

Ryan Ellis signs on October 5th. Five years, $12.5MM.

Jaden Schwartz signs on October 5th. Two years, $4.7MM.

Ryan Johansen signs on October 6th. Three years, $12MM.

2013

Adam Henrique signs on August 27th. Six years, $24MM.

Mikkel Boedker signs on September 7th. Two years, $5.1MM.

Marcus Johansson signs on September 8th. Two years, $4MM.

Nazem Kadri signs on September 10th. Two years, $5.8MM.

Alex Pietrangelo signs on September 14th. Seven years, $45.5MM.

Derek Stepan signs on September 26th. Two years, $6.2MM.

Oft-Injured Teams Likely To Rebound In 2017-18

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Every year, some teams invariably get the short straw when it comes to injury. The Washington Capitals, notably, were the healthiest team in the league, and ended up winning the Presidents’ Trophy. That said, organizational depth is absolutely vital, as the Penguins survived well enough to repeat championships, even though they were bottom-5 in man games lost. Ultimately, there are a few franchises that are merely anticipating a restart in 2017-18, in hopes of entirely forgetting the abuses of last season. These three teams are those which suffered the worst, and have a solid chance to rebound in the upcoming campaign.

Tampa Bay Lightning

The Lightning lost Steven Stamkos for the majority of the season after he was diagnosed with a torn meniscus in November. He missed an astounding total of 65 games. Ryan Callahan was also lost for the majority of the year, losing 64 games of action to a lower-body injury. After that, the onslaught of injuries kept hammering away. Nikita Kucherov only lost 8 games, but was felled on three separate occasions. Ondrej Palat missed only 9 games as well, but his presence was sorely missed when absent. Cedric Paquette lost 23 games, while Tyler Johnson missed 16. It seemed that no one was safe on Tampa’s squad more man-games than an other teams when you factor in essentially retired players.

Tampa will look to remain healthy this season, after an incredibly unlucky venture in 2016-17. They have the depth to endure losses, but the sheer carnage last season was too catastrophic to overcome. Still, they finished only one point out of the final wild card spot. They could easily have squeaked into the playoffs and inflicted serious damage. This year, as long as the fates turn their way, they should be right back in the competitive mix.

Winnipeg Jets

Tyler Myers lost out on the bulk of the season, only playing in 11 contests. As a big component of the team’s defense, he will need to be back to peak performance if the Jets hope to stop some of the bleeding in their own end of the ice. Center Bryan Little lost 23 games to a lower-body injury, while Shawn Matthias missed 37 contests to an upper-body ailment. Not a single player survived the entire year without succumbing to some sort of injury or sickness, and the team as a whole struggled to find a consistent groove with so many bodies filling in and falling out.

The Jets need consistent goaltending and less obnoxiously aggressive defense if they hope to reach the post-season again. That said, simply remaining healthy will go a long way in transforming Winnipeg into a dangerous team. Mark Scheifele was absolutely dominant last season, and with reliable depth behind him, only good results lie ahead. The Central is also slightly less intimidating this year, even with Dallas making as many transactions as they did. Nashville and Chicago both took steps backward, the Blues remained relatively the same, while the Wild made lateral moves.

Vancouver Canucks

Vancouver will have a tough time entering the playoff conversation. In the relatively weak Pacific however, anything can happen. The Sedin twins are another year older, and GM Jim Benning hasn’t acquired any game-breakers in the off-season (Michael Del Zotto doesn’t count). Still, when a team loses over 300 man-games to injury in a year, things should theoretically improve the following year. Admittedly, some of their most heavily injured players were nominal players, like Derek Dorsett (68 lost) and Anton Rodin (79 lost). Still, they missed the presence of multiple depth players at a time and ultimately relied too heavily upon call-ups to crawl through the year. Jannik Hansen (39 lost), Chris Tanev (29 lost), and Erik Gudbranson (52 lost) are far from world-beaters, but on a team as thin at both offense and defense as the Canucks, their losses were unsustainable.

It remains to be seen how much of an impact general health will play for the Canucks. They still need their top players to find consistent production, and their younger players (Bo Horvat, Sven Baertschi) must continue to progress. That said, with a little luck, they might find themselves somewhere near the mix yet again. With new coach Travis Green and a fresh beginning, perhaps there is one more Wild Card berth left in a team that has been prolonging their inevitable full-on rebuild.

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