Inevitably, when a player like Bo Horvat comes on the trade market, we all reach for our cocktail napkins and start sketching out transactions.
Obviously there’s a good old fashioned deal-making element that comes into play with trades, but there’s also so many other moving parts and considerations that often get lost in the exuberant conversations about what it would take to get a guy like Horvat to your team.
Our goal here is to get the juices flowing with some Horvat trade proposals, but also to use Sportsnet’s Jason Bukala to peel back the curtain a little bit and give an added layer of insight regarding what things could be at play in a potential Horvat move.
Bukala spent 15 years in front offices in Nashville and Florida and knows there’s often more than meets the eye when it comes to these potential megadeals. With that in mind, Bukala offered up four teams he believes are viable suitors for Horvat’s services should Vancouver — as more and more people expect — pull the trigger before the March 3 trade deadline and move their pending-UFA of a captain.
I promise we’re not just being provocative by putting a team nobody would think of as buyers out front here. We should note, the 2023 first Montreal would be sending west would be the one it pocketed from the Florida Panthers last spring in the deal that sent Ben Chiarot to the Cats.
The Canadiens have a sizeable prospect cupboard, so much so that at times you wonder if there’s enough space for everyone. Owen Beck had a fantastic training camp in Montreal and the only reason the Habs would be comfortable parting with the heady pivot is because they’d be shoring up the position by brining Horvat in. Jayden Struble is an NCAA senior who could, in theory, become an unrestricted free agent in the summer. The Canadiens are particularly flush on the left side of the blue line with young defencemen — Kaiden Guhle, Arber Xhekaj and Jordan Harris are all playing regularly right now — so there may not be a clear path to the NHL for Struble in Quebec. David Savard could add some veteran savvy to the Canucks, who’ve stated they’re not interested in a teardown and are trying to remain in the playoff mix.
As for why the Canadiens — who are far more likely to move pending-UFAs rather than acquire them — would do a deal of this nature, we’ll let the pro take it.
Bukala’s Take: I know the Canadiens don’t seem like a natural landing spot, but here’s the key I believe changes things: I think Horvat is open to inking an extension with a new team if it’s the right fit. Every club we list here is with the idea in mind that Horvat would be open to sticking around. He’s a dad to young kids and I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he was ready to put down roots in a new spot rather than be a rental and move again as a UFA in the summer.
Yes, the Habs are in the midst of a re-tool, but Horvat is young enough that he could be a player they value both now and six or seven years from now. He fits best as a 2C and that works great for Montreal sliding him behind Nick Suzuki. It also gives the Habs the option to keep Kirby Dach at wing, where he’s been thriving on the No. 1 line much of the year. Finally, many thought the Canadiens would be drafting near the top of the board this year. That may still happen, but obviously things are trending in a different direction for this squad that has been surprisingly competitive.
If you trade for Horvat and wind up in a spot where you can select centres Connor Bedard, Leo Carlsson or Adam Fantilli, you obviously do it and figure it out. But if they did make this move and wound up drafting more in the 10-15 range, now you still feel great about your 1-2 down the middle and you can take whoever jumps out to you at the draft regardless of position.
As for the trade package, I think Vancouver is interested in players who can help now or very soon rather than a boatload of pure futures. That said, a first-rounder is a non-negotiable part of the return and remember, the first Montreal got from Florida last spring presently has no lottery protection. So even if the Habs added top-five protection, that could still be a desirable pick for Vancouver in a loaded draft.
Carolina is clearly in its window to win. Last summer the Canes acquired Brent Burns and Max Pacioretty, who is stuffed on LTIR and should come back late in the year to provide a scoring boost. In the aftermath of Vincent Trocheck leaving for the Rangers in the summer, the glaring need on this team is a 2C behind Sebastian Aho. Jesperi Kotkaniemi hasn’t seized the chance and captain Jordan Staal is a bottom-six guy now.
Giving up Seth Jarvis hurts, but it’s not so bad considering they’d still have young wingers Andrei Svechnikov and Martin Necas in the mix.
Aidan McDonough is a senior at Northeastern University and could become a free agent this summer if he doesn’t sign with Vancouver.
Bukala’s Take: Carolina is a great team to play for right now and Raleigh probably doesn’t get its proper due as a desirable city to live for players. They’ve got a really good thing going in Carolina and I could see Horvat wanting to be a part of it.
Pacioretty’s Achilles surgery means they could probably pull a Tampa Bay and keep him on LTIR as long as possible before the playoffs, creating a little extra breathing room. Scott Morrow was the 40th pick in the 2021 draft and has been a very productive blue-liner through one-and-a-half NCAA seasons with UMass-Amherst.
Detroit already has a very good centre who’s a pending-UFA this summer in Dylan Larkin; imagine if they could trade for Horvat and extend both. That would give the Wings a solid 1-2 down the middle with plenty of good hockey left for both players.
Shai Buium is a big defenceman the Wings snagged in the second round in 2021 who is now in his sophomore season with the University of Denver.
The 2023 second Detroit would ship out belongs to the St. Louis Blues.
Bukala’s Take: I’m not saying it’s a major consideration, but don’t kid yourself; Vancouver would prefer to send Horvat to the Eastern Conference, so it’s no coincidence the teams on this list fit that bill.
The Red Wings are eager to move their rebuild along and acquiring Horvat — who grew up just a couple hours up the highway in Southern Ontario — would keep things going in the right direction.
The Bruins are obviously in it to win it this year and Horvat could give them a huge push. And while Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci look great this year, they’re both over-35 players with limited runway left in the NHL. Horvat would help the group now and ease the transition to the next iteration of the team when those Black and Gold legends eventually hang ’em up.
Boston is obviously looking to unload Craig Smith’s expiring contract, and now that he’s passed through waivers unclaimed maybe the Canucks could take him on for a few months. Vancouver, meanwhile, would likely be very happy to get its hands on Swede Fabian Lysell, who’s having a strong rookie year in the American Hockey League.
Bukala’s Take: The more I looked at this, the more sense Boston made. All NHL players want to win, but Horvat is that special breed who just burns to lift the Cup and the Bruins would give him a real shot at that. Don’t forget; there’s a precedent here for the Bruins extending freshly acquired players, as they pulled that with Hampus Lindholm last year after acquiring him from the Ducks. The top priority for the B’s is a new contract for pending-UFA sniper David Pastrnak, but they have enough coming off the books this summer that they could squeeze both Pastrnak and Horvat in under the cap.
