As he enters the final year of his contract, Vancouver Canucks captain Bo Horvat said Monday he is focused on his game on the ice.
Horvat, who has spent his entire career with Vancouver after being drafted ninth overall in 2013, could become an unrestricted free agent next July.
“I can’t let this stuff bother me. I can’t always have that over my head. I have to go head first and be the best leader I can be.
“I’m a Vancouver Canuck right now and I’m going to be a Canuck this season. I will try to do everything I can to help this team win and that is my main goal right now.”
The 27-year-old forward, who signed a six-year restricted free agent contract in 2017, has an average annual salary of $5.5 million. He scored a career-high 31 goals last season and had 52 points in 70 games as Vancouver missed the playoffs for the sixth time in the last seven seasons.
Horvat, who was named team captain in 2019, has 170 goals and 366 points in 572 career games.
“My career started here, my wife and I love the city, we love the people, we love the fans and the organization, so you always have that in mind, that you’re going to be a Canuck for life. I want that to happen, and we’ll see what happens here, but these things take time to sort out and hopefully we can do that soon.”
After offering JT Miller a seven-year, $56 million contract extension earlier this month, the Canucks currently have $14.6 million in wiggle room with 14 players under contract for the 2023 season- 2024, according to the specialized site CapFriendly.
Miller, Quinn Hughes, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Thatcher Demko, Conor Garland and Ilya Mikheyev, acquired this summer, are all under contract until at least the end of the 2025-2026 season. Elias Pettersson, the Canucks’ highest-paid forward this year, could become a free agent in 2024.
Earlier this month, Canucks general manager Patrik Alvin wouldn’t commit to a long-term contract extension for Horvat.
“Bo is our captain. We respect and love Bo. We communicate with his camp, we will see if we will be able to reach an agreement. “
