With time winding down until the New York Islanders open the 2023-24 season, and after a relatively quiet offseason, their roster remains essentially unchanged. As part of looking ahead to the coming NHL season, we’ll look at the Islanders’ roster and see what we can expect from them during the upcoming campaign.
Today, to kick things off, we look at the Islanders’ biggest trade acquisition in ages, Bo Horvat. He will be leaned on heavily at both ends of the ice as he has gained the reputation of being a solid two-way player throughout his career.
Horvat Brings Consistency and Leadership
The former Vancouver Canucks captain was selected by the club ninth overall at the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. It didn’t take long for Horvat to become a staple for the Canucks organization, as he jumped to the NHL as a 19-year-old in the 2014-15 season. He posted 13 goals and 12 assists for 25 points in 68 games as a rookie, and he continued to excel with more experience.
By his third season with the Canucks, Horvat surpassed the 20-goal mark for the first time in his career. Since then, he has scored 20 or more goals in every campaign, aside from the 2020-21 shortened season where he scored 19 in 56 games. While looking at his offensive production, Horvat scored 0.68 points per game (P/G) through nine seasons in Vancouver. His consistent efforts weren’t subject to just the offensive side of the ice either, as he plays the defensive side of the game just as well.
Horvat also excels in the faceoff circle, an often overlooked game skill. Last season, he won 56.9% of his faceoffs taken and an even more impressive 58.5% in his 30 games with the Islanders. His defensive efforts haven’t gone unnoticed as he has begun to garner some Selke Trophy attention, finishing 22nd overall in voting.
Aside from his consistent efforts on both sides of the ice, Horvat has leadership qualities and experience as a captain in the NHL. On Oct 9, 2019, he was named the 14th captain in Canucks franchise history at 24 years old. Henrik Sedin presented Horvat with the “C” during the Canucks home opener and had nothing but praise for him. “A lot of young guys come up, and most are good hockey players, and they want to score, or they want to play well, but then there’s some guys that have that extra dimension to them where they see more of a big picture, and you can see that they think differently than most guys, and he has been one of them for sure,” Sedin said.
Horvat Capitalized on Strong Start Last Season
Last season, Horvat got off to a hot start individually while his name was tossed around the NHL trade rumor mill. After much media speculation, the trade finally came on Jan. 31, 2023, and the 27-year-old officially became an Islander. Before the trade, he was off to the best start of his career with 31 goals and 23 assists for 54 points in 49 games with the Canucks.
Related: Islanders’ Horvat Extension: How Does It Compare to Others?
Wasting no time, Horvat cashed in on his career-best start by signing a lucrative eight-year contract extension with the Islanders worth $8.5 million average annual value (AAV). Despite playing well with his new team over the remainder of the season, he struggled to find the back of the net. In the final 30 games of the season, he scored only seven goals, not exactly what the front office and fans alike were hoping for following his arrival.
What Islanders Can Expect From Horvat
This season, it will be interesting to see what exactly Horvat can do in his new home on Long Island. The Islanders will be looking to get more scoring out of him on the power play as he potted just one power-play goal (PPG) following the trade compared to 11 PPG with the Canucks.
Elias Pettersson had a breakout campaign last season, surpassing the 100-point mark for the first time in his five-year NHL career. Although Horvat has been a consistent 20-plus goal scorer, his hot start could be attributed to playing alongside Pettersson. Many of the Islanders’ faithful will be hoping that isn’t the case and that he will be able to hit the 30-goal mark again this season. Mathew Barzal is another highly skilled playmaker who could be beneficial for Horvat should they stick together for an entire 82-game schedule.
When looking at Horvat’s career trends, last season sticks out as somewhat of an anomaly, and while he may just be entering his prime, I believe it is more likely that he will regress to the 60-point range while falling just short of that 30-goal mark. A realistic stat line for Horvat is around 28 goals and 33 assists for 61 points.
