Report: Bo Horvat may have already signed a contract with Canucks

Bo Horvat and the Vancouver Canucks may have already struck a deal.

Don: "A little birdie has told me early next week." – for an announcement of a Bo Horvat contract.

— Donnie & The Moj (@DonnieandTheMoj) August 28, 2017

“A little birdie has told me that it’ll be early next week,” Don Taylor said on TSN 1040 on Monday, in regards to when an announcement will be made. “Bo Horvat will be signed early next week, if he hasn’t been signed already. The public announcement will come out early next week.”

The delay in the announcement could be to help give Sportsnet 650 a boost. The new all-sports radio station debuts on Monday and is the official broadcast partner of the Canucks.

Canucks Nation has been waiting patiently all summer for the team’s best young player to re-sign. A restricted free agent, Horvat’s options were limited, though contract stalemates can sometimes lead to bad blood between the team and the player.

That doesn’t appear to be the case in this situation, as few details have leaked from the negotiations. Team president Trevor Linden sounded confident that a deal would be reached last week in an interview with Matt Sekeres and Blake Price on TSN 1040.

“We’ve had some good conversations with Bo and his reps,” Linden said.

“It’s been a positive process. Both sides have been really professional,” he added.

The 22-year-old has a bright future ahead of him, and could be the Canucks’ No. 1 centre as early as next season. He could be their captain after Henrik Sedin retires, too. The team’s lone representative at the 2017 NHL All-Star Game, Horvat led all Canucks with 52 points last season.

It will be interesting to see what Horvat’s contract looks like. He should make something in the $5 million range, though Linden said the term could anywhere from two to eight years.

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