After acquiring Bo Horvat in a trade a week ago on Monday, the New York Islanders have announced they signed him to an eight-year contract extension.
#Isles News: The New York Islanders have agreed to terms with forward Bo Horvat on an eight-year contract.
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) February 5, 2023
General manager Lou Lamoriello is usually pretty tight-lipped when it comes to releasing salary numbers, but the belief is the net worth of the contract is $68 million with an annual average value of $8.5 million.
Horvat AAV is $8.5M
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) February 5, 2023
It was also believed what Horvat was looking for prior to the trade to the Islanders.
CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal in Mid-December believed the Canucks went as high as they could with Horvat, but the dollars were going to come in lower than what Miller was getting.
It was the goal of Lou Lamoriello to get an extension in place for Horvat. Horvat was at the NHL All-Star Game this past weekend in Sunrise, Florida representing the Islanders wearing a Western Conference sweater.
Prior to the trade, teams were not allowed to talk to Horvat and his agent about an extension.
Stefen Rosner of NYI Hockey Now: “Nothing has been discussed yet. It all kind of all happened so fast. So yeah, no talk on it yet,” Horvat said. “Obviously, we’ll see if we can get something done, but I’ll leave that to Pat (Morris, his agent) and everybody to handle that.”
However, Lamoriello stated when he acquired Horvat it was not about just this year. He now has two All-Star players Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat locked up through their prime years.
Bo Horvat, signed to an 8x$8M extension by NYI, is a top six centre with a great finishing touch between the hashmarks, especially on the powerplay. Not a big playdriver but pretty well-rounded offensively. Defensive results lag behind the reputation. #Islee pic.twitter.com/iBWTDPQ7Xz
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) February 5, 2023
Horvat is exactly what the Islanders needed. He brings them scoring help in their top six. Not only that but he will be a great addition to a struggling power-play.
Bo Horvat's faceoffs this season for @TSNHockey @FanDuelCanada #hockeyanalytics #NHLAllStarWeekend pic.twitter.com/fGn1lKltlY
— Meghan Chayka (@MeghanChayka) February 5, 2023
Horvat has one of the better face-off percentages in the league. Again the ability to win draws is crucial, especially on the man advantage.
The Islanders may not be finished adding to their lineup. But Lamoriello is off to a good start and set the tone for the future.