Vancouver Canucks: 5 Players Who Could Score More Goals in 2016-17
By Jeff Godley
Bo Horvat
2015-16 Points: 16 goals, 40 points in 82 games.
2016-17 Potential Goal Total: 25
It would be easy to say that Bo Horvat endured the proverbial “sophomore slump” for a large portion of last season; but that glosses over how much was asked of him during the year.
In the wake of the injury to Brandon Sutter, Willie Desjardins no longer had the option of managing Horvat’s deployment or workload. The Canucks needed a scoring center for the second line, and a third-line/shutdown center who could take a bulk of defensive zone draws. Horvat was forced to fill both roles as well as he could.
According to war-on-ice.com, Bo Horvat took 718 faceoffs in his own zone — more than Henrik Sedin, Jared McCann and Brandon Sutter combined.
The good news for the Canucks is that Horvat eventually figured out a way to score even while starting most of his shifts nowhere near the opposition goal. 75% of Horvat’s 40 points (14 G, 16 A) came after January 1st. Had he scored at that rate throughout the season, he would have finished with 26 goals and 55 points.
What Horvat needs in order to score more goals:
More offensive-zone starts. To squeeze more goals out of Horvat in the coming season, coach Willie Desjardins needs to deliberately do the reverse of what he was forced to do last season. Instead of deploying Horvat for the majority of defensive-zone faceoffs, the coach needs to start reserving Horvat for faceoffs in enemy territory.
The Sedin line remains the coach’s best option for offense; after that, Bo Horvat’s line is a clear second choice. If Horvat can score 40 points in a defensive role, surely he can score more if the Canucks use him primarily for offense?
A Healthy Brandon Sutter anchoring the third line. Willie Desjardins surprised everyone when he deployed Brandon Sutter as a winger on the Sedin line for the first few games of the season. Eventually, though, Sutter was moved into the second-line center role as had been anticipated.
Related: Horvat’s Sophomore Slump No Cause for Concern
But here’s the catch: in that role, Brandon Sutter scored nine points in 20 games when healthy. If he had scored at this rate through 82 games, he would have finished with 38 points — fewer than Horvat achieved while playing in a much tougher role than Sutter was given.
Clearly, Bo Horvat has far more offensive potential than Brandon Sutter; the coaches need to treat the two accordingly. Give Sutter the checking, defensive, shutdown role on the third line, and set up Bo Horvat to succeed offensively.
Bottom Line: Bo Horvat needs to be unleashed.
Getting more offense from Bo Horvat mostly comes down to deployment. As long as Brandon Sutter stays healthy and relieves Horvat of the defensive burden he carried last season, Bo Horvat can be unleashed as an offensive threat.
The 2016-17 season will be Bo Horvat’s third year in the NHL. The Canucks still don’t know exactly how high his offensive ceiling is. This year is perfect time for them to find out.
Next: Number 2: Sven Baertschi