Sekeres and Price: Rick Dhaliwal and Matt Sekeres discuss pending UFA Bo Horvat and the Vancouver Canucks.
Dhaliwal: “First of all, I told you guys last week, both sides still want to get it done. I got no indication that Bo doesn’t want to re-sign in Vancouver. I got no indication that the Canucks don’t want to re-sign him. They still want to get it done.
I told you that, and the first week of February is the pressure point to move this guy. Up till then, there is a lot of time to figure it out.
How do you do the deal though? We know that he’s going to cost a ton of money. We know the price ain’t going down. We know he’s for the lead in NHL goals. We know him and his agent Pat Morris, I talked to Pat . We know they are in a very good position. Pat’s in a very good position. He can sit back.
And the other thing, and I’ve told you guys for weeks, if he does hit the free agent market guys, he’s going to be either the top,
Sekeres: “He’s going to get paid.”
Dhaliwal: “Hold it a second. He’s going to be, there’s not 10 other top centers available on July 1st. It’s him and Dylan Larkin.
So he’s going to be in a small group of top centers available on July 1st. He’s in a very good situation. I don’t see the urgency from Vancouver right now. I don’t see it but I have no indication that either side doesn’t want to get this done.
But, by the same token, we haven’t heard of a lot of contract talks. We haven’t heard of any closeness in talks. We haven’t any of that stuff. No one’s reported that. So it’s a process.
Jim Rutherford is a very, very patient man and I think he’s going to show you his patience on the Bo Horvat situation.
Sekeres: “And as we learned with J.T. Miller matter, things can change on a dime, and of course, the owners’ whim is also an agent change with this franchise from time to time.