There's a real chance the Canucks trade captain Bo Horvat this season

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Dorin Canaday
September 26, 2022 (0:24)

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The Vancouver Canucks named centre Bo Horvat the 14th captain in franchise history on October 9th, 2019.

As head coach Bruce Boudreau and general manager Patrik Allvin have taken over, change has come to the franchise as well, with the possibility of a brighter future; however, Horvat still needs a contract extension.

And it's been reported that if a deal isn't reached by the trade deadline, the Canucks captain could be on his way out of Vancouver.

The 27-year-old has gone unsigned as the club recently signed forward J.T. Miller to a massive extension. Jim Rutherford appears confident that a deal will get done as Horvat becomes a UFA next summer.

''We're hopeful. What Bo has said comes from his heart. He means that he's been a Canuck his whole career, I think he'd like to stay that way, and we feel the same way. We would like to keep him, and hopefully, we can figure out a way to make it work for both sides,» Rutherford said about Horvat.''

According to Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic, if Horvat isn't extended by March, there is a possibility he will be moved before the trade deadline due to the Canucks salary cap situation.

''We still continue to talk here and as I said we have a lot of respect for Bo, Bo is our captain here and he's been a good player for his stint in Vancouver,» Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin said on September 6th. 'Hopefully we can figure something out here.' ''

Horvat is coming off a six-year, $33 million deal ($5.5 million AAV), and the club is currently $2.75 million over the cap.

The resolution may not be as expected, as someone may need to get moved to extend Horvat and as the Jonathan Huberdeau trade to Calgary shows, no player is safe in the NHL.

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