Front-runner emerges in Bo Horvat sweepstakes

Captain Bo Horvat wanted the focus to return to his team on Tuesday when he issued a statement saying he’s “focused on this season and playing for the Vancouver Canucks, helping the team in any way I can.”

It however only intensified the already loud trade chatter, especially after it was reported that Horvat recently rejected an offer on a contract extension from the Canucks. Vancouver is focused on the trade market between now and the deadline on March 3.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek discussed how the Canucks are doing their legwork to move their captain with the current market, and both pointed out how Colorado might be in the best position to land the veteran forward.

Marek: “I’d be looking at the Colorado Avalanche, that one seems and feels to me to make the most sense”.

Friedman: “Colorado makes tons of sense to me, to me that’s obvious, like super obvious”.

Horvat is currently playing the final year of a six-year contract he signed with the Canucks in 2017 and carries a cap hit of $5.5 million. He will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

Named captain of the Canucks in 2019, the 27-year-old forward has put 20 goals and 29 points in 28 games this season. However things haven’t gone well in Vancouver, who current sits five points back of the final wild-card spot with a 12-13-3 record. The Canucks have missed the playoffs for the sixth time in the past seven seasons. Horvat looks like a top trade candidate for a contender looking for a rental up front for a long playoff run. His leadership and production could be appealing on the market, though the Canucks are reportedly looking for a big return, seeing that it will need to shape the future of the team.

Team insider Rick Dhaliwal recently speculated on what Horvat’s trade could bring to Vancouver: “My feeling for a Horvat trade is going to be a young centreman, young defenceman, preferably on the right side, and a draft pick.”

We are fast approaching the NHL’s holiday roster freeze (Dec. 19-27) and so fans might have to wait closer to the March 3 deadline to see where Horvat ends up.

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• Report: Horvat rejects “final offer” from Canucks
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