Sportsnet chatted with Vancouver Canucks General Manager Patrick Allvin and one sentence stood-out in the update conversation that recapped much of what’s been talked about over recent months. It involved whether or not a contract extension for the team captain Bo Horvat could get done before the club’s regular season starts on October 12th.
“Deals like this take time,” GM Allvin said Iain MacIntyre. “Am I optimistic it’s going to happen before the season? Maybe. We’re still communicating, so we’ll see.”
Dialogue has been ongoing between the club and Horvat’s agent Pat Morris.
VHN has spelled out why it will happened before the season, but now it’s starting to look like one joke reference to timing could actually unfold. Allvin signed Brock Boeser to a new contract on Canada Day, JT Miller to his extension on the Friday of Labor Day weekend, which means it’s entirely possible Allvin could announce a Horvat deal on October 7th, the Friday of Thanksgiving weekend. That’s five days before the Canucks start the regular season.
Horvat still has 2022-’23 remaining on the six-year deal that’s paid him $5.5-million per season, but most folks around the club agree getting a deal done in advance of starting play would relieve potential distractions.
Quick Skate
San Jose Hockey Now: As we reported a few days ago, 43-year-old Joe Thornton has been hanging around his former home rink in San Jose with a number of theories abounding. Is the veteran center who spent 15 seasons with the Sharks before moving on to Toronto and Florida looking for a management gig, looking to help the AHL club with player development, or just saying hello before jetting off to Europe? Well, now he’s skating again with the San Jose Sharks. Curtain call or ceremonial one-day retirement contract?
TSN explains the importance of the Montreal Canadiens captain being able to speak French, or Quebecois in this case. It’s why London, Ontario native Nick Suzuki has been going through a crash course on learning the language this summer. It’s a big, big deal in Montreal especially since the kid is probably going to be around for a while.
Speaking of captains, we circle back around to Sportsnet where Sidney Crosby opened up to the boys on the “32 Thoughts” podcast about longevity and why it helps having friends around, too.
Have a delightful Sunday!