Revisiting The Bo Horvat Trade
Bo Horvat joined the Islanders after a massive trade with the Vancouver Canucks one year ago today. It received skepticism from many, considering the Isles were on the outside of the playoff picture looking in. However, the deal has already paid considerable dividends for both sides less than 365 days later. While the fanbases sometimes throw jabs on Twitter, this is a win-win for both sides. Let’s take a deeper look into why that is.
How Did The Isles Do?
The weight of expectations was thrown onto Horvat very quickly once he joined the team. Mathew Barzal, who moved to the wing and was expected to generate considerable offense with Bo, injured his leg on Feb. 20 and would not play again in the 2022-2023 regular season. Despite this, the former Vancouver captain shone. He did just about everything besides put up points as the Isles were able to continue their playoff push and make the No. 1 Wild Card in the Eastern Conference.
Their first-round opponent was the Carolina Hurricanes. Barzal did return for Game 1 of the series, but it was clear that he and Horvat did not have the chemistry generated quite yet. They fell in six frustrating games, but signs of future success were absolutely there. It’s also worth noting that Horvat signed an eight-year, $68 million extension before even playing a single game in an Isles jersey.
Fast forward to 2023-2024, and Horvat is the Islanders’ best forward. He does so much in all situations for this team. Even more importantly, the chemistry with Barzal is there. Both players are around a point-per-game clip, and it’s a big reason why they are firmly in the playoff chase.
Their development combined with the sudden rise of Noah Dobson is why they have a much-improved powerplay unit (11th in the NHL). Not everything has gone right on Long Island this season, and nothing is guaranteed in the NHL. But acquiring Bo Horvat is one of Lou Lamoriello’s greatest successes as an Islanders executive. In 78 games, Horvat has put up 61 points in an Islanders sweater to go with a plus-2 rating and a second under 20 minutes of ice time per game.
How Did Vancouver Do?
Horvat’s former team did not come out with a short end of the stick. Hate it or love it, but the absence of their former captain allowed for the Canucks’ young guns to step in and step up. They started the season on fire, and are currently tied with the Boston Bruins for the most points in the league.
How they used the pieces from the trade is pretty interesting. Before the deadline, they acquired Filip Hronek from Detroit using the Isles’ 2023 first-round pick. The Red Wings drafted Axel Sandin Pellikka 17th overall, so we need to wait a few years and see how it pans out.
Many criticized Patrick Alvin for “overpaying” at the time but the price turned out to be more than fair. The Czech defenseman has been a staple in the Top-Four and become an incredibly solid #2. He’s paired very well with Quinn Hughes, who has taken his game to new heights in 2023-2024. If you ask their fans, I am sure they would do over this trade in a heartbeat.
Not Everyone Won…
Unfortunately, there is a loser in all of this. Anthony Beauvillier never seemed to fit in with this lineup. Isles fans can tell you that he’s a streaky scorer, but the inconsistency led to stagnation. A lot of people believed a change of scenery would cause an offensive boom, but it did not happen. He was sent to Chicago for a fifth-round pick, which is not ideal considering his contract expires this summer. With the Blackhawks in sell mode, he may get flipped again ahead of the March 8 trade deadline.
Former Isles top prospect Aatu Raty played three games in Vancouver last season, but has since put up unimpressive numbers in the AHL. It’s not out of the equation that he gets traded again as the Canucks look to buy at the trade deadline.
The Bo Horvat trade was a win-win for both sides. The Islanders got a great player who will likely finish his career on Long Island, while the Canucks got some important pieces that helped their rebuild move along. Both sides do not have any regrets about what took place a year ago today.
