Bo Horvat releases a statement concerning trade reports

UPDATE: Horvat has taken the unusual step of releasing a statement through the Canucks, addressing trade rumors.

Check it out:

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

- Elliotte Friedman

Read below for our earlier report on Horvat.

The Vancouver Canucks' captain is leaving town.

Pending unrestricted free agent Bo Horvat is officially on the trade market according to Canucks insider Rick Dhaliwal. Earlier today Dhaliwal reported that the Canucks presented Horvat with a "final offer" and that the offer was promptly rejected by Horvat and his representation. The next move? Straight to the trade block where GM Patrik Allvin and President Jim Rutherford will consider all offers and simply take the best one.

"Hearing the Canucks made an offer to Bo Horvat recently and it was rejected. The Canucks stretched it to as far as they can go... even the number the Canucks were willing to go to would put them over the cap this offseason. People are gonna ask, 'what was the Canucks' offer?' I'm gonna guess it was under $8 (million)... I believe the Canucks after the Miller contract the wiggle room was... they can't sign another $8 million player, they just can't do it!"

"At the end of the day... you take the best offer. My feeling for a Horvat is gonna be a young forward, a young defenseman and a good draft pick."

- Rick Dhaliwal

Wow...

I know that times are tough for the Canucks right now and that they're in a major cap crunch due to contract mismanagement, but how can you just give up your leading scorer, your captain and arguably one of the few players who actually GIVES A DAMN for just the best offer out there? He leads the NHL in face-offs taken, he leads the NHL in face-off percentage and he's the 5th highest scorer in the league currently. In short, he's a stud.

In a follow up column for The Athletic, Dhaliwal partnered with fellow Canucks insider Thomas Drance and the two managed to get some details of just what the Canucks are looking for in a Horvat trade.

From The Athletic:

... the club is ideally looking for a package including multiple young players — ideally centremen and right-handed defensemen — in a Horvat trade. The club is, for the moment anyway, poised to be reluctant to take back money to facilitate a trade or to retain salary — although everything is negotiable in high-stakes trade talks.

Thomas Drance / Rick Dhaliwal

Yikes... that's a steep price, but you can't blame the Canucks for trying to set the market high.

Personally though, I know that Horvat isn't likely to lift a Stanley Cup in Vancouver anytime soon, but I feel like he can really be part of this team sorting themselves out. The JT Miller deal is the obvious stumbling block and it looks absolutely awful given his recent play and now the fact that he has essentially pushed Horvat out of a job. I mean... you have to imagine that this management group would like a mulligan on that, right? Reminds me of their last management group who needed mulligans on guys like Loui Eriksson, Tyler Myers and Oliver Ekman Larsson. Different day, same problems in Van City.

There's also the case of 25 year old Brock Boeser who is also reportedly on the trade block. While Drance and Dhaliwal are quick to report that Boeser hasn't explicitly asked for a trade, there's a belief in the organization that a fresh start for the player would benefit both parties. Likewise, 23 year defenseman Jack Rathbone would also like to be afforded an opportunity elsewhere.

From Canucks insider Rob Simpson on Rathbone's status:

If the situation is different, and the team has written off playoff hopes and began reorganizing for the future, Rathbone is a regular in the line-up and his development opportunity unbridled. Instead, before being sent down to the American Hockey League to get ice time, his NHL opportunities were limited this season. Yes he made mistakes, yes he seemed ill-equipped in figuring out the NHL game in moments, but how often was he playing in a constant state of stick-grip, a do-or-die situation that made it easy for him to be removed from the line-up.

I ran into Rathbone during the team’s festive little trip to Vegas at the end of November. Let’s just say, especially after mostly sitting around for six weeks, he didn’t seem at all a happy camper. Pissed off might best describe it. He didn’t play against the Golden Knights on the 26th, he didn’t play against the San Jose Sharks on the 27th, and he was sent down to the AHL on the 28th. Maybe he knew that was coming. 

- Rob Simpson

So... if you're keeping track at home that's the Canucks' captain, their top line winger and their top prospect all likely heading out of town. Tough times, indeed.