Vancouver Canucks centre Bo Horvat was at the NHL All-Star Game. But was he there because there’s no one better on his team, or because he really belongs?
With the current NHL All-Star Game format, every team gets to send at least one player to represent their club. For the longest time, the Sedin twins were the only Vancouver Canucks really deserving to be in the All-Star Game. This year, however, they were represented by 21-year-old Bo Horvat.
Now here’s the question: Was he there because there is no one better to choose from in Vancouver? Or was he there because he belongs with the league’s elite.
Judging by Horvat’s performance last night, it might just be the latter.
Horvat Impresses at ASG
Jeff Godley (The Canuck Way) — Bo Horvat Impresses at First NHL All-Star Game
"Despite the loss, Horvat and Gaudreau were two of the most entertaining players to watch at the All-Star Game.Bo Horvat has been a star for the Vancouver Canucks all season long. He represented his team well in what should be the first of many All-Star appearances."
We can all agree that the ASG doesn’t have much to do with hockey anymore. It’s a little three-on-three, zero-effort tournament. But, thanks to the slow pace and low effort, the players’ skill was on full display.
Playing on a team with guys like Connor McDavid and Johnny Gaudreau, Horvat did not stand out as a bad player. Better yet, he and Gaudreau were one of the most exciting lines to watch at the All-Star Game.
Horvat is the Canucks’ scoring leader for a reason. He is not the defence-first third-line player many thought he would be. Instead, he is an extremely speedy and skilled point-producer with — yes, I’m really going there — first-line potential.
The Canucks should certainly try to get another potential top-line centre at the 2017 draft. But, that would be an insurance more than anything. If both Horvat and the new draftee turn out to be top-line players — amazing. If not, they would (hopefully) have at least one.
For now, we should all just be excited about Horvat’s all-star performance.
Hansen on Horvat’s Wing
Jason Botchford (Vancouver Sun) — Horvat Should Be Playing with Hansen, if Speed Matters to Canucks
"At some point this season, Horvat is going to get a bigger role and with it everyone can better gauge where his offensive game is at. The Canucks actually have a chance to start this process soon.Jannik Hansen is expected to return within the next couple of weeks. For the past four seasons, he’s led the franchise in even-strength, goal-scoring rate.He’s also the fastest player on the team and if speed kills, which it does, how can you not want to see him play with Horvat, who finished third in L.A. in the league’s fastest-skater competition?"
Assuming Horvat is in fact the Canucks’ future, what can they do to get him to the top as quickly as possible? Is Jannik Hansen the answer?
As Jason Botchford notes, Horvat is the Canucks’ fastest player. In today’s NHL, speed plays an important role, so having a speed line with Horvat in the middle would certainly make sense. Hansen might be the team’s second-fastest skater, so that part makes sense again.
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Yet, I disagree.
Canucks head coach Willie Desjardins has done a lot of line shuffling this year and last. Some of it was due to injuries, but mostly it was him trying out different things.
Now, finally, the Canucks have at least one line that works well. That is Horvat with Sven Baertschi on the left wing and Alex Burrows on the right. Why should they be split up again to try out something new?
Is Hansen going to give the Baertschi-Horvat line a scoring boost? I really doubt that.
Once Hansen returns, the lineup should look as follows:
Sedin — Sedin — Eriksson
Baertschi — Horvat — Burrows
Granlund — Sutter — Hansen
Gaunce — Chaput — Skille
Megna
Next: Discussing Trade Deadline Deals
The twins and Loui Eriksson have started to develop chemistry and should stick together. Baertschi-Horvat-Burrows has been working very well this season. Hansen on the right wing of Brandon Sutter and Markus Granlund was the most consistent line at the beginning of the season.
If anything, Hansen should rejoin the Sedins on the top line. But I’m definitely more comfortable with some (aging) star power at the top.