Sportsnet: Iain MacIntyre when asked why the Vancouver Canucks haven’t signed Bo Horvat to an extension yet and the takeaway from Horvat’s comments.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
“First of all, if you’d said that in April that J.T. Miller would have a contract and Bo Horvat wouldn’t, you could have made a lot of money on that prop bet because there was some real obstacles re-signing J.T. Miller. They overcame those. There didn’t appear to be a whole lot of obstacles.
There was a lot of good will in trying to get Bo Horvat re-signed and that hasn’t happened yet but listening to Horvat speak , he’s very much still the captain of the Vancouver Canucks. He re-iterated this is the only team he’s played for. It’s the only team he wants to play for. He has confidence in the people involved on both sides who are negotiating the contract, and he says the key is to be patient.
But the regular season is a month away, and that patience will be tested if this isn’t resolved soon.”
MacIntrye when asked if it’s possible that this won’t hang over his head in the Vancouver market.
“Well, if he buys up all the media outlets I guess he could dicate what hangs over his head but I don’t think it’s realistic.
Until the deal is done, this going to be an ongoing question, and understandably so. He is the captain of the Vancouver Canucks. He is an incredibly influential player. But in that respect, he has to make sure, he acknowledged this , he has to make sure he’s entirely focused on what’s happening on the ice and try to put this contract distraction aside.
There’s been a lot of talk about this team and how management has stuck by these guys and yet they’ve made the playoffs once since Bo Horvat was a rookie.
Patrik Allvin, the GM, has talked about how the core group has to be better. Has to find a way to find another level and pull this team. Either it’s going to be a playoff team or it’s not, Horvat is a major, major influence in that.