"That guy has done nothing wrong" - NHL insider Elliotte Friedman rips the Vancouver Canucks' handling of Bo Horvat

As the NHL Trade Deadline approaches, the eyes of the hockey universe are focused squarely on the Vancouver Canucks. Rumors have swirled around the struggling Canucks franchise about which of their top talents will be available via trade.

One of the names that the club has removed from the trade market is Andrei Kuzmenko. Vancouver and the 26-year-old Russian forward agreed to a two-year, $11 million contract, which will carry an average annual value of $5.5 million.

"Kuzmenko is good and fun. Contract is fair and fine. And there’s also virtually no level of value he can provide the club over the next two seasons that will exceed the opportunity cost incurred by a team in the #Canucks situation missing a unique opportunity to sell high." - Thomas Drance

While the Vancouver Canucks have seemingly committed to Kuzmenko for the foreseeable future, one player whose time with the club is drawing to an end is Bo Horvat. The 27-year-old captain of the Canucks is at the top of several teams' lists heading into the NHL trade deadline.

This season with the Vancouver Canucks, Bo Horvat has scored 31 goals and recorded 19 assists. However, with the Canucks sitting near the bottom of the league, it would be in the best interest of both parties to move on.

While it may appear that the team has moved on from its captain, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman feels that the team has done wrong by Horvat. On the 32 Thoughts podcast, Friedman expressed his sympathy for Horvat, saying, "That guy has done nothing wrong."

"On the new 32TP, Elliotte Friedman confirms again he's heard the #NJDevilsare very interested in Timo Meier. As far as this time, he doesn't think the Devils have yet talked to Meier's camp about an extension. Also, some talk about Bo Horvat" - Alex Chauvancy

Whether or not the Vancouver Canucks can find the right trade partner for Bo Horvat, several top teams, including the Seattle Kraken, Boston Bruins, New Jersey Devils, and Minnesota Wild, are trying to land the center.

A look at Bo Horvat's career with the Vancouver Canucks

Horvat was selected by the Canucks with the ninth overall pick of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft ahead of Jake Guentzel of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Juuse Saros of the Nashville Predators.

In 620 games with Vancouver, Horvat has scored 201 goals and 215 assists for a total of 416 points throughout his nine seasons. Horvat and the Canucks have made only two playoff appearances, with the first in 2014-15 and the second in 2019-20.