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Canucks reportedly looking to trade Bo Horvat amid stalled contract talks

michael hoad
Writer
·2 min read

The Canucks could be looking for a new captain in the near future.

Vancouver reportedly made a contract extension offer to forward Bo Horvat in recent weeks but the 27-year-old declined, per insider Rick Dhaliwal. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun added the Canucks are now “focused on the trade market” with that offer rejected.

Terms of the proposed deal are unknown, but Horvat would be in line for a sizeable raise given he is still in his prime and is enjoying a productive 2022-23 campaign. Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reported the Canucks made an eight-year offer over the summer with an average annual value of $5.125 million. The London, Ont., native is currently in the final year of a six-year, $33-million pact ($5.5 million cap hit) signed in 2017.

Horvat released a statement on Tuesday reaffirming his commitment to the team amid the speculation.

"I am focused on this season and playing for the Vancouver Canucks, helping the team in any way I can," Horvat said. "I will not have any further comments this year about my future."

Horvat’s play has been a bright spot in what has been a tumultuous season for the Canucks so far. Rumours have been swirling for weeks about head coach Bruce Boudreau’s job security as the Canucks stumbled out of the gate with a number of gut-wrenching losses. The club has managed to climb up the standings lately, currently sitting three points back of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference with a record of 12-13-2.

It's looking more and more like Bo Horvat's time with the Vancouver Canucks is nearing the end. (Getty)
It's looking more and more like Bo Horvat's time with the Vancouver Canucks is nearing the end. (Getty)

Horvat has recorded 20 goals in 28 games, which puts him on pace to blow away his career-high mark of 31 tallies set in 2021-22. If he is indeed available on the trade market, the list of suitors should be long, as he can slide into the top-six of just about any team in the league.

The ninth-overall pick in the 2013 draft isn’t the only Canuck surfacing in the rumour mill, as fellow forward Brock Boeser could also find himself in a different sweater come the March 3 trade deadline. Vancouver recently gave Boeser’s agent permission to talk to opposing teams about a potential trade, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

Pivotal few months on the horizon for the Canucks franchise, no doubt.

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