Horvat’s contract extension won’t be cheap the way he’s scoring
CANUCKS: Pending restricted free agent leading team in goals thanks to recent surge
Bo Horvat let his guard down for a moment Tuesday. After saluting his parents’ work ethic and small-town values — critical character elements that have kept the third-year centre humble, yet incredibly driven to lead the Vancouver Canucks in goals with 11 and tied for points with 26 — he did briefly address his contract situation.
The pending restricted free agent will eventually be signed to a longterm extension and since the club stated that intention six weeks ago, their 2013 first-round draft pick responded with 17 points (six goals, 11 assists) in his last 21 games.
And considering the six-year deals his NHL positional peers have signed, being on pace for a career-high 23 goals and 55 points will place Horvat in good comparable-contract company. How good? The six-year, US$28.5-million extension that Florida Panthers centre Vincent Trocheck, 23, signed in July after a 25-goal, 53-point season is noteworthy. It has a $4.75-million salary cap hit, but the actual annual salary starts at $3.75 million and escalates to $6.25 million in the final year.
Horvat probably already knew that.
“Oh yeah, for sure,” said the 21-year-old Rodney, Ont., native, laughing. “You’re always looking at other guys, but I don’t look too far into it. Obviously, you see what they’re getting and what they deserve, but we’ll leave that up to the agents and see what happens.
“I just keep it in the back of my mind and keep playing. That’s my main concern and it has helped me out. You can only control what you can control. By maturing as a twoway centre, who can play in key situations or kill penalties, you want to be a guy they can count on. And I always want to push myself to be better.”
That push has made Horvat a more complete player and toward future first-line consideration and captain material. His plus-minus has improved from a ghastly minus-30 in 2015-16 — second worst in the league — to a minus-1 and his faceoff percentage is up to 53.9 per cent compared to 50.9 last season.
“Obviously, you see what they’re (other players) getting and what they deserve, but we’ll leave that up to the agents ...” — Bo Horvat
What has never been questioned is Horvat’s professionalism and ability to handle adversity.
He went 27 games without a goal early last season, then exploded for 30 points in his final 43 games to finish with 16 goals and 24 assists to bump the sophomore slump.
“To go through what I went through at the beginning and the plus-minus thing, it just made me stronger mentally,” said Horvat. “Just being able to handle it has made me a better player. It’s crazy. This league is so full of emotions that way, all the ups and downs.
“Lose nine in a row, win four in a row and now one point back of a playoff spot (before Tuesday’s L.A. Kings-San Jose Sharks game) and you’re on top of the world again. It’s insane.”
Horvat had the physical stature and defensive awareness to play a fourthline role as a rookie and believes his line can have a better net presence to produce more offence.
That’s what resonates with head coach Willie Desjardins, because Horvat never wanted to be pigeonholed into a lesser role.
“It’s always a will to be good and he has a high standard for himself,” said Desjardins. “Why did Bo, when we saw him in Penticton (in the 2013 Young Stars Tournament), look like such an average skater? Because he was.
“Why is he now not an average skater? Because he wants to be better. If you settle for being average, you’ll be average. He doesn’t settle for that. It doesn’t work with him.
“With Bo, we don’t have limits on him. It’s open for him to settle out where he settles out. He’s pretty remarkable in what he has done so far, even as a 19-year-old. He played less than 10 minutes a night, accepted it and just got better.”
Horvat doesn’t have to look far for inspiration. His father Tim is an insulation salesman and his mother Cindy is a hairdresser. Tim played Junior B hockey and 10 games with London of the Ontario Hockey League. He’s on speed dial for post-game consultations with his son and will always tell him to play harder and shoot more.
“He’s the reason I got into the game,” said Horvat. “My parents have had to work for everything they have and they’ve never had anything given to them. That helps you stay humble.”
None of this surprises Sven Baertschi, who has had his own ups and downs in trying to establish himself as a consistent performer.
“Where he’s the strongest is that he doesn’t let too many things bother him and he just sticks with it,” Baertschi said of Horvat. “All he worries about is that day, that practice or that game. It’s mental strength.”