Canucks didn't shop Islanders offer on Horvat to other teams: report

Jan 31 2023, 5:43 pm

The Vancouver Canucks certainly liked what they saw from the New York Islanders in their offer for Bo Horvat.

So much so, it seems, that the Canucks didn’t cross-shop the return of their captain with other interested parties, according to NHL insider Kevin Weekes.

Instead, Vancouver jumped at the chance of adding Anthony Beauvillier, Aatu Raty, and a conditional first-round pick.

“I’m told from another club that was highly interested and involved in the Canucks’ Horvat deal, that Van didn’t shop the offer, and locked in on the Islanders package,” Weekes tweeted Tuesday morning.

The Canucks optioned Horvat, with 25% salary retained, to the Islanders in an afternoon stunner on Monday.

The Dallas Stars and New Jersey Devils were “among teams that may be most aggressive for Canucks captain Bo Horvat,” Nick Kypreos wrote in a column for the Toronto Star before the weekend.

“First of all, we would like to thank Bo Horvat for all that he has done for the Vancouver Canucks during his nine seasons in Vancouver,” Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin said in a release.

“He has been a great leader and ambassador for our hockey club. As difficult as it is to trade away our captain, we are excited to add a high-quality 25-year-old winger in Anthony Beauvillier, a young centre in Aatu Raty, and a protected first-round draft pick. These pieces will be a big part of our development and growth moving forward.”

Horvat, named captain in 2019, had 420 points (201 goals, 219 assists) in 621 games for the Canucks in his career.

Beauvillier has 209 points (102 goals, 107 assists) in 457 games for the Islanders, having spent the last seven seasons with the team since being selected by the team in the first round (No. 28) in the 2015 NHL Draft. He is currently making $4.15 million this season and next, and is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2023-24 season.

Raty, picked in the second round (No. 58) of the 2021 draft, has two goals in 12 games as a rookie with the Islanders this season.

The Islanders’ first-round pick in 2023 is top-12 protected.

Horvat said he thought he was “going to be a Canuck for life.”

“Things didn’t work out that way,” he told the New York media.

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