'It felt like home': Bo Horvat says goodbye to Vancouver

Bo Horvat is saying goodbye to Vancouver and the Canucks after a decade in blue and green.

On Tuesday, hours after the news broke that the team was dealing Horvat to the New York Islanders, the all star took to social media to share a parting message.

"The past 24 hours have been filled with an overwhelming number of memories from inside and outside the rink," he wrote.

"Nine years ago, you welcomed us to your beautiful city and province, and before long, you would make sure it felt like home."

The 27-year-old goes on to reflect on meeting Canucks legends and leaders Daniel and Henrik Sedin during his first season and learning through them how to connect with the community.

He finished the letter titled 'To our Canucks Family' by explaining that it was an honour serving as Captain in Vancouver.

"The city of of Vancouver and Canucks fans will always have a special place in our hearts," he said.

Horvat was drafted in 2013 and was named the team's captain in 2019.

Over the years, the London, Ont. native scored 201 goals and was on pace for a career year in Vancouver before being traded.

Horvat told reporters on Monday that he thought he was going to play out his career in Vancouver and that he learned of the trade while he was on vacation at Disney World with his family during the all-star break. 

'I don't think it's fully sunk in yet; there was a lot going on this year, to say the least," he said.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Bo Horvat (@bohorvat)

Horvat was traded for forwards Anthony Beauvillier and Aatu Raty and a protected 2023 first-round draft pick.

This mid-season trade comes eight days after head coach Bruce Boudreau was fired and replaced with Rick Tocchet.

Horvat being shipped to Eastern Conference could be the first domino to fall for the Canucks.

General Manager Patrik Allvin explained that the team is looking to improve even as they continue to drop in the standings. It remains unclear if the Canucks will make another significant trade before the March 3 deadline, but Allvin did not rule it out.

"What do we have, five weeks to the trade deadline? So I'd assume more calls will come along here," he said.

Allvin also wouldn't confirm who will be the Canucks' next captain or when the announcement will come – but did tell reporters that Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes have shown strong leadership skills.