The New York Islanders have made the first rental move of the Trade Deadline season, as they have acquired center Bo Horvat from the Vancouver Canucks for winger Anthony Beauvillier, center Aatu Raty, and a protected first-round pick in 2023.
Horvat was destined to be dealt at the deadline this season after the Canucks locked up J.T. Miller to an eight-year extension, leaving little cap room to retain Horvat. He was ranked #1 on Frank Seravalli’s Trade Targets list, as he was highly sought after during a career season for the Canucks captain.
He goes to a New York Islanders team that has struggled as of late and needed an extra push, especially since they’ve been running a similar roster to what they had last season when they missed the playoffs. Horvat provides the team with some solid center depth, as he joins Mat Barzal, Brock Nelson, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, and Casey Cizikas.
Horvat is currently having a career year, with 31 goals, 23 assists, and 54 points in 49 games, with the goals already tying his career high of 31 last season. He has slowed down of late though, with just one goal in his last seven games, and two in his last 10. He’s in the final year of a six-year contract with a $5.5 million cap hit, and he is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year.
Beauvillier goes to the Canucks as a young roster piece to join the current team. The 25-year-old has just nine goals, 11 assists, and 20 points in 49 games, and is in the second year of a three-year deal with a $4.15 million cap hit.
The Canucks also get prospect Aatu Raty from the Islanders, a second-round pick in the 2021 NHL entry draft. He’s played 12 games this season for the Islanders with two goals, and he has seven goals, eight assists, and 15 points in 27 AHL games with the Bridgeport Islanders.
The final piece in the deal for the Canucks is the Islanders’ 2023 first-round pick. It is protected and will slide to 2024 if it ends up as a top-12 pick.
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