Lightning Want Horvat, Even if They Can’t Afford Him

With the flat cap bearing down on teams across the NHL, the 2023 Trade Deadline in March is going to be an interesting one, as there will be two opposing forces fighting against each other. First, there will be a lot of bad teams looking to sell off assets in order to get as many picks as possible for the 2023 Draft, which is considered one of the deepest in a decade. Second, many of the teams that will be wanting to buy won’t have the space needed to add players of their choice, which could limit the trade market overall.

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This is the situation the Tampa Bay Lightning find themselves in, as they are once again in a position to make a run at the Stanley Cup, and they would love to add a top talent at the deadline to help them shore up their core for the postseason. However, with roughly $750,000 in cap space available after all of the accounting is taken care of, and a significant asset drain after they acquired Brandon Hagel at the 2022 Deadline, the team just doesn’t seem to have the space or ammunition needed to make a big trade.

This doesn’t mean that Julien BriseBois, the Lightning’s general manager, won’t be trying to swing a deal. It’s his job to work the phones to see who is available at all times, whether they can realistically afford them or not. That’s why it shouldn’t be a surprise to hear that Tampa Bay have contacted the Vancouver Canucks about their captain, Bo Horvat, who is seen by many to be the top available trade target.

.@FriedgeHNIC on the latest 32 Thoughts Podcast floated the idea that there is a sense that #GoBolts will be around and kick the tires on Bo Horvat. Obviously would be big challenge but these guys want to win.

To put it simply, Horvat is a player that every team should be interested in, as he is a big-bodied, 30-goal scoring forward who is a leader both on and off the ice that is still in the midst of his prime years at 27-years-old. These kinds of players rarely hit the trade market, and when they do they demand a king’s ransom, for obvious reasons.

So, if the Lightning were looking to acquire Horvat, what could a deal look like?

History Shows Horvat Has Impressive Value

Whenever you discuss the value of a trade asset like Horvat, you have to consider a number of factors. Things like the amount of salary that will need to be retained, players that have to be included in order to stay cap compliant, and of course, will they be…