Do Golden Knights Have Enough To Add Bo Horvat?

It's no secret the Vegas Golden Knights needed more depth at forward. Even before Jack Eichel, Brett Howden, and Paul Cotter got injured, head coach Bruce Cassidy was frequently sitting the likes of Jonas Rondbjerg, Michael Amadio, Jake Leschyshyn, and Phil Kessel in the late stages of close games. They played well last night, but this is still an issue.

With Eichel out of the lineup, even more light has been shed on guys like Kessel, Leschyshyn, and Amadio, who is now on the team's top line.

Adding a player at the NHL Trade Deadline, if not sooner, might be a remedy for the Golden Knight's forward depth issues. Vancouver Canucks forward Bo Horvat is one of the top names available on the NHL trade market.

Horvat is a 27-year old center and pending unrestricted free agent with the Canucks. He is fourth in the league in goals with 22 and is a point-per-game player on the struggling Canucks.

A couple of days ago on Insider Trading, TSN's Darren Dreger revealed what the Canucks would likely want in return for their captain.

"They (The Canucks) do have specific needs. Maybe it starts with cap space, especially if you look into next year's roster for the Vancouver Canucks. But they'd like to add a young NHL centreman. They'd also like to add a young NHL right-shot defenceman," Dreger said.

If the Golden Knights are in the market for Horvat? Do they have the acquisitions necessary to make a deal for Horvat?

Cap Space

First and foremost, there is a very low chance the Golden Knights will be interested in taking on any more cap. Horvat and his $5.5 million cap hit would already be a tough squeeze for the VGK. Given that they are already up against the cap and that they want to contend for a Stanley Cup, they will most certainly not be interested in taking on any bad Canucks contracts.

To balance out the deal in terms of the cap, either Laurent Brossoit or Adin Hill could be moved, considering the Golden Knight's goaltending situation and that Thatcher Demko is hurt for the Canucks.

Young NHL Center

The Golden Knights have a lot of young NHL centers in their lineup, but Jack Eichel and Nicolas Roy aren't going anywhere. Given that the prefix on the center is that they need to be a current NHLer, prospects Ivan Morozov and Brendan Brisson don't fit either.

This leaves us with Jake Leschyshyn, who is 23, and Brett Howden, who is 24. I could see both of these players being added to the deal but not as the main sweeteners for Horvat. Both are still fighting to find consistency in the NHL with their play.

Leschyshyn still doesn't have a point in 16 games this season and would hardly interest Canucks GM Patrick Allvin. The Canucks, or any other team, could likely claim Leschyshyn off waivers in the future if they really wanted to.

Brett Howden is a little different, given his nearly 250 games of NHL experience. Injuries have halted the progression of Howden's career, but there is potential for him to become a reliable bottom-six scorer, given his skill set.

Young NHL Right-Shot Defensemen

The Golden Knights have a couple of options here, but none of them have truly broken free in the NHL. They are Daniil Miromanov, Brayden Pachal, and Kaedan Korczak who have all spent time in the Golden Knights organization amdist injuries.

Given his recent play, and the injury to Zach Whitecloud, it is unlikely that the VGK will want to trade Miromanov.

Korczak has potential, but was passed by Pachal when it came to who Bruce Cassidy put in the lineup when the VGK were down three defensemen. Pachal is more of a shutdown defensemen which perhaps makes him less appealing to the Canucks, but he played two games for the VGK this season and has four under his belt in his career.

Pachal is 23, undrafted, the captain of the Henderson Silver Knights and has eight points in 26 games with HSK this season.

Korczak is 21, a former second-round pick, and has six points in 26 games with the Henderson Silver Knights this season.

The Golden Knights are dry on prospects, so perhaps trading guys like Pachal, Korczak, and an inevitable first-round pick for Horvat would be not ideal.

VHN's Trade Proposal: Bo Horvat for Brett Howden, Kaedan Korczak, Laurent Brossoit, a 2023 first-round pick, and and 2023 seccond-round pick. Even with this I am not sure the Canucks will bite, and they likely will want a bigger packages.