The Vancouver Canucks did the expected and have recalled Bo Horvat from their farm team in Utica on Sunday. Because of NHL rules for young players, the 19-year-old Horvat was only able to play in the AHL because he was on a conditioning stint, recovering from a preseason injury with the Canucks. The two week stint is up, so it was either NHL or junior for Horvat.
Despite the suspension to Alex Burrows, it doesn’t look likely that Horvat will make his NHL debut tonight, against the Nashville Predators. He was getting put through the paces rather hard for a player that is expected to play this evening.
By the way Bo Horvat is getting rinsed this morning I really doubt he'll play tonight. He's also coming off back2backs and travel. #Canucks
— Dan Murphy (@sportsnetmurph) November 2, 2014
Barring an injury, the Canucks will have an interesting lineup decision to make soon, once Alex Burrows returns from his suspension on Thursday. Horvat will likely have to supplant one of Shawn Matthias, Derek Dorsett, Jannik Hansen or Zack Kassian to get into the lineup. A few days ago, Matthias would have been the easy choice, but he has played very well of late. It’ll be a tough decision for the coaching staff.
Horvat didn’t exactly take the AHL by storm, finishing with 0 points in 6 games with the Comets. He is a good defensive forward though and should be counted on to improve the Canucks in the faceoff department. Vancouver is currently ranked 29th in the NHL in faceoff winning percentage.
Feature Image: canucks.nhl.com
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