Five comparable contracts for Canucks’ captain Bo Horvat

Now that the J.T. Miller trade saga is over for the Vancouver Canucks, the next thing on General Manager Patrik Allvin’s to-do list is to extend Bo Horvat.

As per usual, Canucks fans have no shortage of opinions on what that deal should look like. Some want short term, some want long term, and a few even want him traded in hopes of bolstering the defence core.

If the Canucks do, in fact, intend to extend their captain, the following contracts could serve as comparables, giving fans an idea of what to expect.

Gabriel Landeskog: $7 million, 8 years

In the summer of 2021, Gabriel Landeskog signed an eight-year, $56 million contract extension with the Colorado Avalanche.

When he signed his contract, Landeskog was at a similar point in his career to where Horvat is now. He was the captain of a promising, young team, but hadn’t had much playoff success.

He was one of the better players on his team, but was overshadowed by a few of his teammates, such as centre Nathan MacKinnon and blueliner Cale Makar.

There was no doubt that Landeskog was an important piece but, were he not willing to sign at the right price, his team would have let him walk in free agency.

There are also a few key differences between Horvat and Landeskog. At that point in his career, Landeskog had tallied points in 74.5% of his games. Horvat currently sits at 63.9% in that regard. If Horvat has a big year in 2022-23, he could close that gap and use Landeskog as a comparable.

Another difference is the overall market at the time. Landeskog signed during a time of uncertainty due to the pandemic. If Horvat waits until the end of the season, the salary cap could rise significantly by the time he signs, meaning he just might be able to get pre-pandemic money if he holds out long enough.

Horvat and Landeskog play similar roles on their teams, and while Landeskog produces offensively a bit more than Horvat does, the overall market could allow Horvat to get Landeskog-type money.