VANCOUVER — In Bo Horvat’s first statement Tuesday, which magically arrived in reporters’ in-boxes while they watched the player practise, the Vancouver Canucks captain said he was focussed on helping his team and would have no further comments about his uncertain future.
And then in his subsequent statements, standing in skates in the dressing room and talking to the same reporters, Horvat gracefully handled a few questions about a future made uncertain by his expiring contract and the Canucks’ salary-cap pressure and priorities.
“I’ve always wanted to keep this kind of thing confidential and I’ve always, right from the beginning. . . just wanted to focus on hockey and focus on the team and winning games and trying to lead this team by example and not let this be a distraction,” Horvat, 27, said. “And that’s why I kind of released a statement where I just want people to respect my privacy and my choice to keep this confidential and private.
“Right now, I’m just trying to focus on the team — and that’s winning games, trying to make the playoffs and I’m trying to lead by example night in and night out. I feel bad for my teammates having to hear all about this in the media, and I don’t want it to be a distraction, so I apologize to them.”
Asked about the impact on his family of reports and conjecture that he will be traded, Horvat said: “Obviously, it takes a toll. I’m getting lots of text messages, and then there’s my parents and wife and everybody, so it puts a lot of stress on them. But, I mean, for the most part, my family’s been my rock. They’re handling it with class and people are respecting their privacy, too. And for me, it’s just a matter of playing hockey right now. I want to be a Vancouver Canuck. I’m a Vancouver Canuck right now until they say otherwise. I have nothing but respect for this organization, and I’m very loyal to this organization and I’m going to continue to do so.”
So in summary, the day after Vancouver broadcaster Rick Dhaliwal broke the story that Horvat and agent Pat Morris have rejected what the Canucks feel is their best offer and management is now resigned to trading the team’s captain and longest-serving player, Horvat apologized to teammates, spoke personally about his family, reaffirmed his loyalty to the organization and said he would continue to do everything he could to help the Canucks win.
If they trade him – it probably won’t be soon but feels like a matter of ‘when’ – the Canucks will be losing a lot more than their leading goal scorer and faceoff ace. They’ll be sending away a player who has become the Canucks’ moral conscience and has, for the last four years as captain, unfailingly fulfilled with patience and honesty his obligations of accountability in a rabid market that can make others hide from it.
That’s what is in play here as Canuck general manager Patrik Allvin takes and makes trade calls on a popular core player whose exit was still almost unthinkable when last season ended.
The team isn’t wrong in thinking it can’t afford to go $8-million-US a year or higher on a long-term contract for Horvat, the reliable two-way centre who had 52 points in 70 games last season while setting a new career high with 31 goals.
Where it went wrong was when they prioritized their impending free agents last summer by re-signing J.T. Miller, two years older than Horvat, in September to a seven-year, $56-million extension after Miller’s 99-point season. Like Horvat, Miller is on an expiring contract.
Although there is an analytics-based argument against signing any player Miller’s age long term and for big money, management’s thinking about the two players made a lot of sense: Miller was the higher-scoring, more impactful centre and Horvat, who played behind him, was always more likely to be inclined to stay and could eventually sign for less.
What no one anticipated is that Miller would wobble this fall under the weight of $56-million-worth of expectations and play himself out of centre ice and on to Horvat’s wing, while Horvat would score at a 58-goal clip and have through 28 games more goals (20) than Leon Draisaitl and Auston Matthews.
The Canucks feel now like they can’t afford Horvat, and they can’t move Miller’s contract.
And here we are. Just another dramatic plot twist in an organization that seems to have a boundless capacity for them.
They’re also working to trade winger Brock Boeser (and others), listening to offers between now and the March 3 NHL trade deadline on heart-and-soul defenceman Luke Schenn, trying to figure out how to re-sign point-per-game rookie Andrei Kuzmenko so he doesn’t bolt as a free agent next summer, while trying on the ice to turn around a disappointing start exacerbated by the institutional dysfunction between holdover coach Bruce Boudreau and hockey-operations president Jim Rutherford.
“Everyone’s aware of what’s going on,” Schenn said. “It’s not like you talk about it at all times, but guys aren’t oblivious to what’s being talked about. After practice, you’re asked about it. If I take my son to hockey or to school, I’m asked about it. It’s not something you can really hide from or avoid.
“At the end of the day, I’ve always tried to just show up to the rink and compete as hard as I can for my teammates and the organization here and the logo on the front of the jersey.”
The Canucks can’t even get a day off right.
The Horvat story re-ignited Monday when players had the day to themselves before gathering in the evening at a charity event to support the B.C. Special Olympics. Several Canucks conceded Tuesday that Horvat’s situation was a hot topic of conversation among players at the function.
“For us, it doesn’t change anything,” centre Elias Pettersson said of the endless drama. “I can only focus on what I can do. Of course, you hear it. But you either focus on it or you focus on the right thing — what you can control.”
“Rumours? Twitter nonsense?” winger Conor Garland said. “I don’t pay attention to that because it is nonsense. I signed a five-year deal (before last season) and I’ve been in trade rumours since I got in here. So I do not pay attention.”
But most fans pay attention. And so do some players.
“It might complicate things,” Boudreau told reporters. “It’s hard for me to say because I come in and do work every day with the same mindset, watching games every night and everything else. Whatever. . . goes on, I just think of it as noise. Every player is different. I know it rattled a few of the players last year at the trading deadline time. But I think we’re all on the same page, we all want the same thing and whatever happens happens.”
By the way, the Canucks have a game on Wednesday. They visit the Calgary Flames.