Joined: Jul. 2021
Posts: 1,051
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I like this trade for both teams. With the unprecedented numbers he’s putting up this season, I don’t think it would have been smart for Vancouver to extend Horvat at the price he’ll command, and this is a pretty good return for a rental. It’s more of a risk for New York, but they’re close to being a playoff team, and they have a recent history of going far when they can get in, yet they desperately need to improve their scoring. Horvat has 31 goals, 12 more than the Islanders’ leader.
Vancouver seems to be going nowhere, but they still have some good young talent to build around, so I don’t think they’re in “blow it up and start over” mode. I think it was important that they got back a roster player similar in age to their core group and a good prospect who might not be too far away, rather than just draft picks, though I’m sure they wanted a 1st-round pick too – ideally this year rather than a couple years out – and this pick is likely to be higher than what any of the other suitors could have offered. Beauvillier is a solid NHL player who seems to be at his best in the playoffs, and I haven’t seen Raty play much but I remember he was ranked much higher than where he ended up getting picked in the draft, so I’m guessing he has a better chance of making it than the average #52 pick. My only criticism is that I don’t think this helps address their biggest need which is team defence, which is also the Islanders’ strength so you’d think there could have been some potential to get help there.
For New York, it seems like a lot to give up for a rental, especially when they don’t appear to be a cup contender, but this trade makes them a better team now, and they probably won’t get too many more chances to win with this group, with most of their forwards being over 30. They may have been considering trying to sign Horvat as a UFA if he hits the market this summer, and in addition to giving them first crack at him, this move lets them test-drive him first to see how well he fits, making a long-term signing less of a risk. Some people have mentioned their shallow prospect pool, but that might be another reason to go for it now, as it means things aren’t likely to get better if they wait. I think they still have some cap space to make another move before the deadline.