Bo Horvat has put the Vancouver Canucks in a tough situation, and it is unlikely that the team will be able to re-sign him due to his overall value going through the roof during an unbelievable 2022-23 campaign.
The Canucks lack any cap room to give Horvat his much deserved raise, and he will be becoming a UFA (Unrestricted Free Agent) at the end of this season. With a current cap hit of $5,500,000, we can expect for a team to pay upwards of $9 million to land the superstar.
Horvat has been nothing short of exceptional to start this year, putting up 14 goals and 20 points in 17 games, making him the second highest goal scorer in the NHL behind only Edmonton's Connor McDavid.
He is currently scoring at a pace of 68 goals, if he plays in all 82 games. The most goals scored by a Canucks player is 60 in a season, accomplished by Pavel Bure twice in 1992-93, and 1993-94.
Article continues below
On the Halford & Brough morning podcast, reporter Frank Seravalli said there have been conversations between the Vancouver Canucks and Columbus Blue Jackets about a potential trade for the 27-year-old centerman.
Seravalli mentioned there was smoke, and that Columbus would be a suitable trade partner and is interested.
Columbus has been off to a disappointing start to their 2022-23 season, as they sit right in the basement with 11 points and a 5-9-1 record, so it makes sense for them to look to make a splash in the market before their season goes to waste.
During the offseason, the Canucks made the controversial move of re-signing J.T. Miller to a massive 7-year, $56 million contract through 2029-30, and many fans have been ripping apart their management for that decision.
Obviously, we didn't expect Horvat to put up numbers not seen on the Canucks since Pavel Bure.
We can't quite picture what a return would look like for Horvat, however, the Canucks are looking to bolster their defense which has struggled early on.
We will update this as more information comes out.
