Bo Horvat and the Canadiens: his former teammate Antoine Roussel brings new and more realistic information

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MarcO
December 22, 2022 (10:10)

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It's fair to say that things have been shaky around the Vancouver Canucks for the past few weeks.

With the team having a rather disappointing season, there is all sorts of speculation surrounding two of the team's veterans, Brock Boeser and captain Bo Horvat.

The latter turned down a significant contract extension with the Canucks, which almost confirms that he will most likely be traded by the trade deadline. Yet, the forward is heading towards the best season of his career as he already has 22 goals in 31 games since the beginning of the season, but according to several sources who follow the Canucks' activities closely, he would be in his last miles in Vancouver, he will be a free agent without compensation in the summer of 2023.

But who better to talk about what's going on inside an organization than a former Canucks player who knows Bo Horvat very well.

As reported by Nicolas Desrosiers, of Marqueur.com, forward Antoine Roussel, who once played for the Canucks, was on the air with Mario Langlois on 98.5, and he cooled down the expectations of Habs fans who would have undoubtedly liked to see the 27-year-old forward land in Montreal via a trade.

According to Roussel, he refused to sign a new deal with the Canucks because he wants to join a team that will give him a chance to win the Stanley Cup. But what caught our attention during the interview was that Horvat would be much more comfortable playing in a market where the pressure is much lower.

"In an environment where he wouldn't necessarily have all the pressure on his shoulders, he might perform even better."

Let's just say that Montreal and Vancouver aren't both great places for hockey players. But if we go back to the trade rumors regarding Horvat, he will definitely be one of the most in-demand players across the NHL and the price could be exorbitant, especially given his excellent season.

However, with the situation the Habs are in right now, it would be quite surprising if Kent Hughes were to deviate from his plan to go after a rental player.