Bo Horvat BLOCKBUSTER
Bo Horvat is on the move! Lou Lamoriello has awaken! In absolute stealth mode, the Canucks captain is heading to Long Island. And the Canucks got an absolute haul for the 30-goal scorer. Now it’s time to see if paying the piper can save the Islanders season. Check out the full trade details below:
The 2023 All-Star is on pace for a career year. He is gonna blow his career high of 61 points in a season out of the water. He currently 31 goals and 23 assists in 49 games. And, in all honesty, is the exact jolt of offense this team has needed all year. He should fit in nicely with the likes of Mathew Barzal, Brock Nelson, and Anders Lee. On the subject of Barzal, I really think his time to go on the wing is now. Having Horvat, Nelson, JG Pageau, and Casey Cizikas down the middle is not too shabby at all.
Worth The Price?
Lets also touch on the return. It’s sad to see Anthony Beauvillier‘s Islander tenure go out this way. His historic overtime goal in Game 6 of the 2021 Conference Finals will forever go down in franchise history. There was no better way to close out the Nassau Coliseum than with forcing a Game 7. However, he’s become wildly inconsistent and just failed to develop after that moment.
Losing Aatu Raty is also a tough pill to swallow. I for one really liked the guy but he is gonna be a very nice addition to the Vancouver farm. Great two-way player. Even played on the wing at times. He’s pretty much gotta stay up because the Islanders burned the first year of his ELC this year. But you also must consider that the best case of scenario of his development is that he turns into Bo Horvat in a couple of years.
The first round pick situation is also not ideal. The Isles have a lot of catching up to do in this second half. Pittsburgh currently occupies the last Wild Card spot and is ahead two points AND three games. The Caps are three points ahead but have the same number of games played as New York. The pick is Top 12 protected, so if they just miss out on the playoffs it will probably end up going to Vancouver.
Time To Eat My Words…
Look, I’ll put my hands up here. I have not made my feelings a secret about this Islanders hierarchy. But they made me eat my words. Lou Lamoriello has finally made a big swing. The time to worry about asset management is not right now. Bo Horvat is a great hockey player and he will be a New York Islander for at least the rest of this season. I was really ready for dire straights on this season. Now, things have just gotten a whole lot more interesting.
Crunch time has officially arrived in Long Island. Not only do you worry about what happens on the ice but also off of it. Horvat is in line for a major payday. The 27-year-old could not have picked a better time to have the best season of his career. Lou Lamoriello has a tendency to keep his trade deadline acquisitions around for the long haul, a la Pageau and Kyle Palmieri. He is also a guy Lou has kept his eye on for quite some time. I have a sneaky suspicion that, as long as the team plays better, he will be inclined to stay.
I would have also liked to see a winger walk through the door like Timo Meier. Maybe St. Louis is so tired of Vladimir Tarasenko that you could get him for a smaller cost? That remains to be seen. But for now, there is finally a little bit of optimism for the New York Islanders.
