Islanders Get Bo Horvat From Canucks – Why Making The Playoffs Isn’t Good Enough

The New York Islanders are taking a big risk by trading multiple assets this late in the season to acquire Bo Horvat.

General manager Lou Lamioriello has sent struggling winger Anthony Beauvillier, top prospect Aatu Raty and a conditional 2023 first-round pick over to the Vancouver Canucks. 

The draft pick will be top-12 protected, according to the team.

But the biggest asset at the moment is Raty, who is coming fresh off a dominant World Junior Championship showing, where he posted 10 points in seven games.

Raty has also proved he can score against men too, as he registered 40 points in 41 games in 2021-2022 in the Finnish Elite League.

And while Beaulvlier has struggled in the past couple of years, it’s possible the 25-year-old can turn into a solid middle-six option for the team.

Beaulvlier stood out in the 2021 playoffs when he registered 13 points in 19 games.

Without question, the Islanders got better from the trade.

Lamirolleo said a big reason behind the Horvat acquisition was to provide a boost to the team’s 31st-ranked powerplay.

“That’s what we liked the most about Bo’s game is his power play success and how he knows where to go and where to be at the right time,” the 80-year-old told the media.

This season, the former Canucks’ top center has broken out for 54 points in 49 games.

But the Islanders better sure hope that it got this one right and the team surges quickly, as it sits currently two points out of a playoff spot without games in hand.

The Athletic is only giving the Islanders a 19% chance of making the playoffs – and that’s considering the Horvat deal.

The trade deadline is set for March 3 – meaning the Islanders could trade him and probably recoup a good chunk or an equivalent amount of assets that it took to get him.

Plus, there is no guarantee Horvat signs an extension with the Islanders, as he is scheduled to become a free agent following this season.

If the Islanders miss the playoffs and do not get any assets back – then it’s a complete disaster.

It’s also not good enough if the team makes the playoffs and gets obliterated by the Boston Bruins in the first round.

The Islanders need to turn into a team that contends for the Stanley Cup or it could be in serious trouble soon.

That’s because it had one of the worst prospect pools in the NHL even before it traded Raty.

The Islanders are slated to not have a first-round pick for the fourth consecutive draft.

If the Islanders keep this up, it won’t be long until it will have to enter a massive rebuild, which won’t be easy given all the long-term commitments to its players.