Islanders Acquire Horvat To Be Offensive Catalyst

Bo Horvat is playing for Lou Lamourello today as if that was always what he was meant to do.

In 2013, Horvat was drafted by the Vancouver Canucks with the ninth overall pick in the NHL draft. That pick originally belonged to Lamoriello. When he was with the New Jersey Devils, Lamoriello traded the pick to Vancouver for goaltender Cory Schneider.

On Monday, Lamoriello finally landed Horvat -- this time for the New York Islanders -- by giving up prospect Aatu Raty, a lottery protected 2023 first round pick and Anthony Beauvillier to the Canucks.

The Canucks traded their captain Horvat because they couldn’t re-sign him. The Islanders wanted Horvat, boasting 31 goals this season, to put a charge into an offense that has been sputtering for a month.

The Islanders scored two or fewer goals in 11 of their last 12 games. General manager Lou Lamoriello knew his team needed more goals to make the playoffs. The Islanders (25-22-5) are two points out of an Eastern Conference wildcard spot.

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.ca reported the first-round pick going to Vancouver is protected through the 12th pick. If it lands there, the first round pick would be in the 2024 draft.

From the Canucks’ perspective, the return has potential. Beauvillier is a dependable forward who can produce 18-20 goals per season. He has this season and the next on a contract paying him $4.15 million per season. Horvat’s contract ask didn’t fit in Vancouver’s salary cap. 

The Islanders’ first rounder will likely be in the middle of the first round, even if they make the playoffs. And the 2023 draft class is deep in talent.

But the key is Raty. He has shown potential to be an offensive star, but can he reach his potential? The key for the Islanders is whether they can re-sign Horvat. It will be a while before we know who wins this trade.

✈️ The Winnipeg Jets score four in third period to hand Blues fifth consecutive loss. Jake Neighbours and Nikita Alexandrov had the Blues up 2-0 just over two minutes into the third period but thanks to a pair of goals each from Josh Morrissey and Mark Scheifele, plus 24 saves by Connor Hellebuyck, the Winnipeg Jets snapped their 3-game losing streak while extending the Blues' to five. The Jets are 5-5-0 in their last ten and comfortably sit in second place of the Central Division heading into the All-Star Break.

🪦 Hall of Famer Bobby Hull, the Golden Jet, dies at 84. Well known for his blond hair, blazing speed, and incredible slapshot (reportedly clocked at 118 mph), Bobby Hull led the NHL in scoring 7 times, scored 50 goals in 5 NHL seasons, won the Hart Trophy as the league's Most Valuable Player twice, voted a First-Team All-Star 10 times, and won the Stanley Cup in 1961. By the time of his retirement, Hull collected a total of 913 pro goals: 610 NHL goals, plus 303 goals scored in the WHA. For context, Wayne Gretzky scored 940 goals between the WHA and NHL.

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