Big turnaround to come regarding the Bo Horvat trade? The CH had acquired Thomas Vanek from the Islanders this way in 2014
On Monday night, Lou Lamoriello sort of kicked off the trade market by acquiring Bo Horvat from the Vancouver Canucks in return for a first round pick in 2023, Anthony Beauvillier and Aatu Raty.
The 80-year-old GM's work is not done, however. He will have to convince Horvat to stay with the Islanders long-term, or else the price will have been high for a rental player. According to reports, there have been no discussions about a possible contract extension yet, but Lou hopes to see Horvat on Long Island for a long time.
The price tag could be even harder to stomach if Horvat decides to test the free agent market next summer and if this rental doesn't end with a playoff spot. Currently, the team is in the midst of a tough playoff battle in the Eastern Association, as they are two points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins and a spot in the spring tournament.
As Chris Meaney mentioned on Twitter, Lamoriello has another option in his pocket. He could very well trade Horvat between now and March 3 if he sees that his club is no longer in the playoff picture or that his player does not intend to stay with the organization long term.
As Charles-Alexis Brisebois of DLC mentions, this kind of deal has happened before. In 2013, Thomas Vanek was traded from the Sabres to the Islanders (you can't make that up) before getting traded back to the Montreal Canadiens minutes before the deadline.
We remember that Marc Bergevin had hit a home run when he had obtained the services of the forward for only Sebastian Collberg and a 2nd round pick in 2014. Vanek had strongly helped the CH with a 15-point finish in 18 games, in addition to his 10-point production in 17 playoff games during that famous season when the CH was eliminated by Martin St-Louis' Rangers in the Eastern finals.
Let's hope that if he doesn't re-sign Horvat, Lamoriello will get more than the Islanders got for Vanek back then...
| POLL | ||
Who do you think won the Bo Horvat deal? | ||
| Islanders | 131 | 67.5 % |
| Canucks | 63 | 32.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
