Days after the Bo Horvat saga ended in Vancouver and a new chapter is set to begin at UBS Arena, reports have surfaced that Horvat and his camp turned down a deal in the neighborhood of seven years at approximately $7.5 million AAV from the Canucks.
While the offer was rumored to be discussed back in November, and Horvat's numbers have improved since then, it is likely that if the Islanders expect to resign him that the organization will have to present him an offer north of that AAV and term.
Although the twenty seven-year-old's numbers continue to improve year after year, there may come a point where Horvat may need to humble himself and take whatever offer he is given, however one thing is for certain in the salary cap era.
General Managers have more often than not overpaid for proven forwards they feel will help them win today, not worrying about how it looks on them when during the back half of the contract the players' numbers potentially decline.
Whether we see Bo Horvat suit up in Elmont, NY opening night for the 2023-2024 season is yet to be seen, however, if you're the boss trying to build this team for the stretch run, you're only wish is to make sure your new projected number one center is comfortable with his new linemates and you get the best out of him for the back half of the season.
