Friedman sheds new evidence that the Canucks have not yet given up and Horvat could remain in Vancouver

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Felip Gosselin
January 10, 2023 (9:20 PM)

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The team's biggest story this year has definitely been the Canucks' captain contract. It seems as if everything is telling us that he will be moved by the deadline, but there are still some fans that are certain that this is going to unfold as it did with J.T. Miller.

In his most recent 32 Written Thoughts, Elliotte Friedman made an extremely intriguing remark that indicates that the Canucks have not yet said their last word. Horvat's has been listed as the top trade bait on as many lists as it is possible to publish and Friedman states that when the time comes several teams will come calling and even some we haven't considered. The fact is, a young centerman like him, that's already displayed his leadership abilities and his skills on the ice, looking for a career deal is interesting to any team.

Though, in Friedman's piece, what stood out most is the following:

The big question is going to be if the Canucks allow anyone to talk contract with him beforehand.

The fact that they have not opened him up for contract talks, indeed reveals that the Canucks still have a card up their sleeves. Perhaps the Canucks are going to be the one breaking first in this match.

The CHL will host its annual Top Prospect Game in Langley, BC. on January 25th. All team representatives are expected to be there ahead of the draft, and so will Bo Horvat's agent Pat Morris. The rumor has it that the Canucks management party had planned to set up a meeting with Horvat's representative. January 25th will precisely mark the 31-day countdown to the deadline, expect the Canucks to render an official decision after that meeting.

With the assist he registered tonight, he now has a 5-game-point streak going, Bo Horvat now counts 45 points in 40 games. We're not even halfway through the season and the captain is only 2 goals shy of the career high he set last year with 31.

Although it was stated that there'd be one team willing to go up to $9M per year if Horvat were to hit the market, a consensus revealed that amongst the league's GM his value currently stood at $8.25M AAV for 8 years. The way he's progressed and him being in the early stages of his prime, is he not worth it?