An absolute blockbuster deal went down late Monday afternoon as the Vancouver Canucks will send captain Bo Horvat to the New York Islanders.
Coming back the other way is Anthony Beauvilier, Aatu Raty and a protected 2023 1st round pick.
The New York Islanders currently sit 2pts back of the final wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference with a 25-22-5 record. However, the club is clearly banking on the deal helping push them squarely into the playoff mix when all is said and done.
Horvat is in the midst of a career year registering 54 pts (31G, 23A) in 49 games for the Canucks. His 31 tallies have already tied a career high set last season in 70 appearances, as the London, ON native sits 7pts shy of his personal best point total from back in 2018-19.
Vancouver meanwhile get an every day NHLer in left winger Anthony Beauvilier and arguably New York’s top prospect in 20 year old Aatu Raty.
Beauvilier has recorded 209pts across 457 games, all with the Islanders, and comes with an extra year of team control. The 25 year old is signed through the 2023-24 season and counts for $4.15M against the cap. With Vancouver currently walking a financial tightrope, the writing was ultimately on the wall for Horvat following the signings of JT Miller and Andrei Kuzmenko.
Raty has bounced back and forth between New York (12 games) and Bridgeport (27 games) in 2022-23, recording 17pts (9G, 8A) across both levels during that time. The 6’2” centreman was once considered a top prospect for the 2021 Draft Class. However COVID, and the effects of the pandemic on leagues across the globe limited his ice time in the lead up to draft day, as the Finnish forward fell to New York with the 52nd overall pick.
The 1st round selection heading from New York to Vancouver is top-12 protected for this year’s draft. Should the pick not convey in 2023, it will become an unprotected 1st round pick in 2024.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner
Photo: Harold Cecchetti. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.