The rebuild for the Canucks continued Monday as the team traded their leading goal scorer, Bo Horvat.
Vancouver dealt the center to the New York Islanders for forward Anthony Beauvillier, center Aatu Raty and a protected 2023 first-round draft pick. The trade comes a week after Bruce Boudreau was fired as head coach.
Vancouver is sixth in the Pacific with 43 points, as of Monday, but Horvat has 54 points this season, which was second on the team. The ninth-year forward will join an Islanders team that is sixth in the Metropolitan with 55 points, as of Monday, but New York still has hopes for the playoffs, unlike the Canucks.
Horvat was supposed to represent Vancouver at the NHL All-Star Game, so it likely will need to find a replacement.
The Bruins were a potential candidate to trade for Horvat as a means to build for a Stanley Cup run. But Boston unlikely was going to part with similar key assets the Islanders gave up. The Canucks will hope to develop Beauvillier and Raty, as well as the player they potentially will draft with the pick they acquired.
The Black and Gold still have plenty of options ahead of the March 3 NHL trade deadline, including players Vancouver could offer up, Chicago Blackhawks star Jonathan Toews or a Boston native.
