When New York Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello went out and acquired one of the biggest trade targets this season, Bo Horvat, he brought in a 30-goal scorer to his offensively lacking roster. At the time of the trade (Jan. 30) he was in the midst of the most productive season of his career. He was on pace to shatter all of his previous career highs, and while the former Vancouver Canucks captain has gone on to break his previous career highs, he hasn’t been able to replicate the offence he was producing before the trade. The Islanders, who are now at risk of missing the playoffs, need more from him, and they need it now.
Horvat Hits A Dry Spell On the Island
Before the blockbuster deal, Horvat was scoring at the highest rate of his career at 0.63 goals per game (GPG). He was also on pace for a 50-goal season. While scoring 31 goals and 23 assists for 54 points in 49 games with the Canucks he averaged 1.1 points per game (PPG), putting him on pace for a 90-point season. His previous career high was 61 points during the 2018-19 season. In other words, he was having a monstrous campaign when Lamoriello swung for the fences and landed the 28-year-old.
Horvat started fine with the Islanders and quickly showed some chemistry alongside the razzling, dazzling Mathew Barzal. Through his first four games, he scored three goals and one assist. Islanders’ faithful were even thrilled enough to chant “Hor-vat! Hor-vat! Hor-vat!” when he lit the lamp at UBS Arena. It looked like the highly sought-after Horvat would continue producing at similar levels to what he had been with the Canucks this season.
Wrong. Instead, through 26 games with the Islanders, Horvat has scored just six goals and five assists for 11 points. That’s right, he went from 0.63 GPG to 0.23 GPG, and his points per game average dropped from 1.1 PPG to 0.42 PPG since the trade. However, over his entire tenure with the Canucks he scored goals at a 0.32 GPG rate and had a PPG average of 0.68, so a decline had to be expected at some point.
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Barzal going down with a lower-body injury on Feb. 18 against the Boston Bruins hasn’t helped Horvat either. Since then, he has often been deployed alongside long-term minor league pro, Hudson Fasching. Despite the injury to Barzal and whoever coach Lane Lambert decides to play him with, the former NHL captain needs to find a way to get the monkey off his back and score some timely goals, as the Islanders need all the offence they can get right now.
Horvat Remains Solid Defensively
While Horvat has struggled offensively since coming over to the Islanders, his defensive game still plays a prominent role in the club’s success. His on-ice goals against per 60 minutes (oiGA/60) has dropped from 3.9 this season in Vancouver to 2.8 with the Islanders. Although he has a plus/minus rating of minus-7 in his 26 games with the team, he has fit in well with their defensive style of play.
Horvat is also leaned on heavily in the faceoff circle and has won 57.7 percent of his faceoffs since the trade. Faceoffs are an underrated facet of the game, and Horvat gives the Islanders an edge possession-wise each time he wins a draw.
Islanders Need More From Horvat Over Final Four Games
While Horvat shouldn’t be expected to keep scoring at the pace he was earlier this season, he still needs to produce better than he has been. The Islanders have made quite the investment in him, signing him to an eight-year, $68 million contract extension. “It’s too long, and it’s too much money,” Lamoriello said shortly after the signing. At his current scoring rate with the Islanders, Horvat wouldn’t even crack 20 goals or 40 points over a full 82 games. Simply not enough for a guy who will be making $8.5 million next season.
Now with just four games left on the schedule, Horvat needs to show the organization why they signed him to such a lucrative long-term contract extension. With the club in the midst of a wild card race that will likely go down to the season’s final days, he needs to step up and be a leader for the Islanders or else they may find themselves on the outside looking in for the second straight season.