Today, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff dropped his first trade targets column of the year.
The column is an ever-changing list based on information Seravalli has gathered in an attempt to figure out who the NHL’s top trade targets are.
And to the surprise of no one, Vancouver Canucks captain Bo Horvat found himself in the top spot.
Here’s what Seravalli had to say:
Scoop: Communication has been scarce between the Canucks and Horvat’s camp, with the belief that contract talks broke off before training camp and have not resumed. Canucks president Jim Rutherford alluded to the idea that Horvat’s sizzling start means the captain could be the catalyst for core reconstruction: “The better he plays, the better return we can get for him,” Rutherford told Sportsnet 650 earlier this month. There is no shortage of teams interested in a top flight center, either as a rental or long-term fit: Colorado, Detroit, Boston and Edmonton, to name a few.
Horvat currently sits at 15 goals on the season, and as we pointed out yesterday, his final 18 games of last season were literally identical to his first 18 this season when it comes to goal scoring. Horvat had 14 goals in his final 18 last season, and 14 in his first 18 games this season. There’s no doubt that teams are aware of that and are noticing it.
Much lower on the list at 16 was winger Brock Boeser, who has eight points in the seven games he’s appeared in since returning from injury.
Here’s what Seravalli wrote on Boeser:
Scoop: Canucks president Jim Rutherford said if this season continues to swirl down the drain, they will be forced to unload larger contracts. Outside of pending UFA Horvat (No. 1), Boeser is perhaps most moveable of those deals. He certainly hasn’t scored at his typical rate this season, but his contract isn’t hugely detrimental to his value. Boeser started slow and finished stronger last season with 29 points in 43 games.
Somewhat surprisingly, Luke Schenn wasn’t featured on Seravalli’s 20-player list. There’s certainly the possibility that the Canucks are thinking twice about moving a veteran defenceman like Schenn who brings so much to the table on and off the ice.
He’s on an expiring contract, and there’s been no word to this point about if either party is open to a contract extension. It’s very possible that the Canucks are simply deciding what they’d like to do with Schenn before making it known to teams that he’s available.
You can read the full Trade Targets list over at Daily Faceoff by clicking here.
