Rumor: Trade chatter around Canucks captain Bo Horvat

This offseason has been "The JT Miller Offseason" for Vancouver Canucks fans.

Miller was in the news seemingly every day as fans and media speculated about his future with the team. While Miller already had a contract in place for this upcoming season, he was slated to become an unrestricted free agent (UFA) in the summer of 2023 and that left both the team's front office and its fans a bit nervous.

In the end, despite swirling trade rumors, the Canucks and Miller came to terms on an eight year extension to put the rumors to rest. But here's the thing... Miller wasn't the only pending UFA on the team's roster.

Captain Bo Horvat is also slated to become a UFA next summer and TSN insider Pierre LeBrun reports that contract talks between the Canucks and Horvat's camp have been relatively slow. LeBrun even goes so far as to report that Horvat could be traded at some point this season if the Canucks can't get him under contract before the trade deadline.

From LeBrun's most recent 'Insider Trading' segment for TSN:

Well, the first thing I would say on the Bo Horvat front - he's UFA (unrestricted free agent) this year, as everyone knows - is that it's been quiet of late but those discussions date back three, four months, it's not like they're just getting going right now. Both sides have really laid out their positions, and my understanding is that there's a pretty sizable gap between those positions at the moment, which again: there's lots of time for the Canucks and Horvat's representatives to find a way over the next few months and it is the Canucks' absolute priority to get their captain signed to a long-term deal, but it's also true, I think, that the Canucks' front office feels a bit less pressure in the wake of J.T. Miller signing to get it done at all costs. In other words, they have a delicate salary cap position, and a Horvat extension has to fit within that long term. We'll see where this goes, but certainly my sense is that if Horvat is not signed by the March 3 trade deadline, there is a possibility the Canucks would trade him instead of losing him for nothing come July 1.  

- Pierre LeBrun

For what it's worth, Horvat is on an expiring deal that pays him $5.5 million per season and is likely looking at a raise that will pay him more in the neighbourhood of $7 million per season.