Bo Horvat (C)
The Vancouver Canucks have not been very good. In fact, they’ve been lousy. The only reason that the club hasn’t completely fallen off the tracks is because of their captain, Bo Horvat, and his electric play.
Horvat is tied as the leading goal scorer in the NHL along with Connor McDavid and Jason Robertson. In 20 games, Horvat has managed 16 goals and 6 assists. This level of play is turning heads and quickly making the 27-year-old from London, Ontario the most valuable player to hit free agency this summer.
Beside’s Horvat’s outstanding play, there is another big reason why other teams, including the Maple Leafs, will be looking to make a deal to acquire the hot hand. That’s because he is playing on a team friendly $5.5 million AAV. That makes fitting Horvat onto a team roster much easier.
For the Toronto Maple Leafs, a center isn’t their primary need. However, if Horvat is able to continue on the pace he’s on, he’ll easily be the the biggest boost the franchise could get going into the post season. If Dubas has any chance at all to land Horvat then he would be foolish not to take a shot.
For the Leafs, there’s also the added benefit that Horvat has experience playing with Toronto’s best playmaker, Mitch Marner. The pair played together for the London Knights in 2013-14. It was Marner’s rookie season in the OHL and Horvat’s final year before going straight to the NHL (with a five-game stopover in Utica). Together, they even played in the Memorial Cup, thanks to London hosting the tournament that year. Prior to Marner’s arrival, Horvat was part of the Knights group who won back-to-back league championships. Perhaps they may find success together again.
The biggest difficulty will be managing to outbid the rest of the NHL for Horvat’s services. The Canucks will look to cash in big, which means it’ll be a big risk to acquire the extra production. Fans may never know, but it would be interesting to learn what Dubas is willing to offer to get their man.
The NHL trade deadline is just over three months away, which means a lot can and likely will change in that time. Regardless, expect the Toronto Maple Leafs to take a big swing for a top tier talent to take this franchise to the next level.