On Tuesday evening’s edition of Insider Training, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reported on the details of the Vancouver Canucks and Carolina Hurricanes’ discussion about a Bo Horvat trade.
Here’s what LeBrun had to say:
“We’re more than six weeks away from the March 3rd trade deadline, the Canucks continue to explore what the trade market looks like for really their number one guy, Bo Horvat, their captain who’s having a career year. They’ve pretty much checked in with every contender, one of them being I’m told the Carolina Hurricanes. Now, a lot of people like the Hurricanes as a fit for Horvat — remember, Carolina struggled offensively in the playoffs last year.
“The price is too steep for the Hurricanes at this point. As we reported last month, the Canucks would want a young centre as part of a multi-asset package. They’re not getting Martin Necas from the Carolina Hurricanes — Carolina doesn’t spend high on rentals traditionally, and I don’t think they’ll break that path here for Bo Horvat, so we’ll see where this goes.”
Martin Necas, a first round pick of the Hurricanes back in 2017, certainly fits the criteria of an impact player 25 or younger that the Canucks would like to target in their retool. So far this season, Necas has 17 goals and 22 assists through 44 games.
Necas carries a cap hit of just $3 million both this season and next, and will be a restricted free agent at the time of his contract’s expiration.
It’s no surprise the Canucks would want to target him in a trade, and it’s even less of a surprise that the Hurricanes aren’t keen on moving on from the young right-shot centre.
The Hurricanes were one of the top five teams Daily Faceoff NHL insider Frank Seravalli listed as potential suitors for Horvat’s services at the trade deadline. Also on that list were the Boston Bruins, Colorado Avalanche, Minnesota Wild, and Washington Capitals.
As we wrote yesterday, teams around the league are well aware that there’s no guarantee Horvat’s time in Vancouver is over, despite Canucks president Jim Rutherford stating that the Canucks have “taken their best shot” when it comes to negotiations with Horvat and his camp. You can read that story by clicking here.
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