Despite little to no rumors that the New York Islanders were in the Bo Horvat sweepstakes, Monday night proved otherwise, as the biggest asset on the trade block is coming to Long Island.
The Islanders are obtaining the Canucksâ former first-rounder for Anthony Beauvillier, Aatu Raty and a conditional first rounder in the 2023 NHL Draft.
For the Islanders, a team with 55 points and currently in 6th place of the Metropolitan could make the top of the best division in hockey even more competitive. Which is a welcome sight for Islanders fans who have waited for the team to buy in during the Mathew Barzal era.
The 27-year-old Horvat is joining New York on a 31-goal and 23-assist season, a 56% faceoff percentage, and 4 game-winning goals.
With the added bonus of switching teams during the All-Star break, heâll presumably join the first line of Lee-Horvat-Barzal, thus building his chemistry with one of the top distributors in the NHL.
For the Canucks, a team with plenty of negative publicity after the firing of Head Coach Bruce Boudreau, this is a move that could speed up the rebuilding process much faster than anticipated.
Acquiring a 25-year-old, first round pick in left winger
Anthony Beauvillier (20 points), a second round pick, 20-year-old forward in Aatu Raty and what is expected to be a top-12 pick for the upcoming draft, that is one of the bigger returns for a rental ahead of the trade deadline in recent memory.
And for the other buyers ahead of March 3rd, it leaves them scratching their heads on how to bring down the value of the market after that trade sets the bar.
As all trade deadlines go, once one pin falls, the rest normally get pushed into motion. And with over a month to go ahead of the official deadline, this deal was not only unexpected, but unprecedented.
So, not only does the extensive price tag for Horvat raise the price of other targets around deadline, but also the lack of him makes the addition of another forward, or a scoring defenseman all the more valuable for a team that may have been factoring in the lifelong Canuck.
Thus, whichever fandom you are a part of, the next deal made should be of note for all 32 franchises, as it will go a long way in setting the remainder of the market.
Whether itâs Timo Meier, Jakob Chychrun, or former teammate Brock Boeser, no deal should match or exceed the return for Horvat, as the rumored names ahead of the deadline had Horvat as the most valuable.
However, how close the deals are in value is where things may get interesting.
