Well, forward Bo Horvat is on the move as the Vancouver Canucks sent the star center to the New York Islanders in exchange for forward Anthony Beauvillier, prospect Aatu Raty and a conditional first-round pick in 2023. The 2023 pick is top-12 protected, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. The Canucks will also retain 25% of Horvat’s contract.
Beauvillier, 25, has recorded nine goals and 20 points on the season over 49 games. His top single-season point total currently sits at 39 back in 2019-20. Beauvillier has recorded one 20-plus goal season during his seven-year career, which came back in 2017-18 as a 20-year-old.
The Canucks are clearly banking on Raty to become something special. They hope they are able to draft a difference-maker with the first-round draft pick, although with the selection being top-12 protected this year, they might need to wait until 2024 for the full return for their now former captain.
Raty, 20, is a center that’s played reasonably well with the Bridgeport Islanders this season, recording seven goals and 15 points over 27 games. Raty also enjoyed a cup of coffee with the New York Islanders, appearing in 12 games this season, notching two goals while skating to a plus-one rating.
The market for Timo Meier is set, and the Detroit Red Wings need to weigh their options.
Steve Yzerman and the Detroit Red Wings will likely use this ten-day break to reevaluate the first half of the season and create a plan leading up to the March 3rd NHL Trade Deadline. With Detroit firmly on the outside looking in at the playoff picture, all signs point to the Red Wings becoming sellers, but I wouldn’t rule out Yzerman looking to be a buyer in the right situation.
Let me be clear; I believe Yzerman will be a heavy seller when it comes to a bunch of Detroit’s pending free agents that he doesn’t expect to re-sign later this season or following the season ahead of the start of free agency. Right now, I expect the Detroit Red Wings to make re-signing captain Dylan Larkin a priority, likely followed by defenseman Jake Walman. That leaves Tyler Bertuzzi, Oskar Sundqvist, Olli Maatta, Pius Suter, Adam Erne, Jordan Oesterle, Magnus Hellberg, and Alex Nedeljkovic on the trade block.
San Jose Sharks forward Timo Meier could be a forward Yzerman looks to buy ahead of the deadline. With Bo Horvat off the board, the market for Meier looks to be set. Meier has recorded 28 goals and 48 points this season over 51 games.
“What I’m hearing is a first-rounder — and one Grade-A or two Grade-B prospects, or one good prospect and a young, established NHL player,” a source told San Jose Hockey Now.
I’m not convinced that adding a pending free-agent winger looking for his next contract to be an eight-year deal that averages $ 9 million per season makes sense for the Red Wings.
I was intrigued by Horvat mostly because he’s a scoring center, and if you’ve followed my work, I am a big believer in building a roster from the inside out. Building a strong roster down the middle, from the centermen to defense and goaltending, and then adding the long-term wingers. Of course, there are always exceptions, like Lucas Raymond.