Vancouver Canucks: Top 5 Player Battles to Watch in 2016-17
2. Bo Horvat vs Jared McCann
You see, this trade isn’t easily evaluated and it brought a bunch of different battles upon us. One of them is Bo Horvat versus Jared McCann, because they were both kind of designated for the same future roster spots.
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Both Horvat and McCann excel as two-way centers. They were both selected in the first round of their respective draft years, both went straight from junior to the NHL, and both have top-six potential. The big question was always whether one of them was good enough for a top-line role or whether the two of them as a one-two punch would be good enough to roll without a true first-line player.
Well, now it’s all up to Horvat.
Personally, I rather see top-line potential in McCann while Horvat is more of a second-line leader. Horvat is a future captain with a terrific two-way game, but McCann seems to have more scoring potential.
We won’t find out this season, but 2016-17 will be a first indication of what is to come. Horvat will get a chance to prove he is ready to be a second-line player while McCann still has to prove he can be a full-time NHL player. Can he score more than 18 points? Will he even start the season in the NHL? We are about to find out.
Next: Gudbranson vs. Hamhuis and McCann