3 blockbuster trade packages for Detroit Red Wings to land Bo Horvat

Although the Detroit Red Wings find themselves on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoff picture, it wouldn’t shock anyone to see general manager Steve Yzerman start to sell off assets ahead of the March 3rd NHL Trade Deadline, especially those players with expiring contracts aside from the few he hopes to retain.

It also wouldn’t surprise anyone if Yzerman elected to trade off said assets and become a buyer in hopes of improving the roster now and in the future. One of those players, Yzerman, may look to buy is Vancouver Canucks captain Bo Horvat. Horvat, 27, a pending free agent, has been at the center of trade talks for months now, and Detroit may be the perfect landing spot for a couple of reasons.

Detroit needs to add a second scoring center to help carry the load and take some pressure off, captain Dylan Larkin. Horvat, who turns 28 years old in April, is a scoring center who has recorded 31 goals and 50 points over 47 games this season for the Canucks. This follows a 31-goal, 52-point campaign in 70 games last season and a 19-goal COVID-19-shortened season the year prior. Also, Detroit could almost serve as a bit of a homecoming for Horvat, who was born and played his junior hockey with the London Knights just two hours up highway 401 from Detroit in Ontario.

I recently explained that the Detroit Red Wings have the assets to land Horvat, and they also have plenty of money to extend him. The million-dollar question remains; is Horvat a player Yzerman feels can push this organization over the top?

Forming three trade offers, the Detroit Red Wings should present Vancouver for Bo Horvat.

We’ll soon find out Yzerman is tight-lipped and as unpredictable as they come, and he holds his cards close to his vest. Of course, the Red Wings already need to extend Larkin, and Horvat will command a similar term. We can address the need but can’t answer if Yzerman feels that the combination of Larkin and Horvat is the combination to build around over the next eight years. But if Yzerman does feel like trading for and extending Horvat is the way to go, here are three competitive trade offers the Detroit Red Wings should consider.

Detroit Red Wings: Hypothetical trade offer number one for Bo Horvat.

The Vancouver Canucks are in a position to rebuild, but the word is they are hoping to do it on the fly. I can almost hear all the Red Wings fans reading this, snickering as they think about how Ken Holland’s rebuild on the fly worked out.

Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek reported Saturday night on the “Hockey Night in Canada” broadcast that the Canucks want “three players, including a top prospect.”

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman added.

“There was a lot of talk about this in the last 24 to 48 hours,” Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman added. “I think the reason is — I’m getting the impression that Vancouver is separating the teams that are willing to consider that or continue down that level of conversation from the teams that won’t. I think that’s what’s kinda been going on here. Vancouver is figuring out who is really serious. I don’t believe there’s anything imminent at this time, but I do think the Canucks know who’s in the game and who isn’t.”

Although rumors are just that, numerous insiders have mentioned ‘to keep an eye’ on the Detroit Red Wings.

It’s also been conveyed that the Canucks will be hoping to land a young center in a potential deal, so why not offer two?

It may seem steep to some, but you’ve got to give up something to get something. Michael Rasmussen, 23, would be considered the centerpiece of this deal (pun not intended). He’s excelling playing as a middle-six forward and brings plenty of versatility to the lineup with his checking ability and capability to play either the wing or center.

Rasmussen has totaled eight goals and 22 points over 44 games this season while averaging just a touch over 15 minutes of ice time per game. During even-strength play, Rasmussen is producing a career-high 49.7 Corsi For Percentage and 3.3 Relative Corsi For Percentage.

It took the 6-foot-6 forward a few years to hit his stride at the NHL level, but he’s made significant progress this season and should only continue to improve over the next few seasons. That being said, Rasmussen doesn’t currently project to be a 30-plus goal scorer, but his style of play still holds value.

We’ll talk about Joe Veleno a bit later.

Bob Duff of Detroit Hockey Now recently mentioned that the buzz surrounding Detroit’s prospects is beginning to fade. A fresh start might be in order for defense prospect Albert Johansson. Simon Edvinsson and William Wallinder are the two defense prospects garnering the most attention these days, while Johansson, Jared McIsaac, Donovan Sebrango, and Eemil Viro have since taken a backseat.

Johansson, 22, has recorded two goals and seven points this season for the Grand Rapids Griffins over 37 games while skating to a minus -8 rating.

Detroit Red Wings: Hypothetical trade offer number three for Bo Horvat.

Let’s take a look at the third and final trade offer I’ve created for Bo Horvat.

The Detroit Red Wings will be hard-pressed to find a trade partner willing to take on Jakub Vrana’s $5.25 million salary unless they retain a large portion of it or send draft capital or a prospect in the deal to entice a trading team to take the cap hit on.

The whole Vrana situation is a mystery, and it seems like his time in Detroit may be coming to a close. Again, Kevin Allen of Detroit Hockey Now mentioned that before the shoulder injury in camp last season, doctors had suggested surgery in the previous offseason, but Vrana opted for rehabilitation. The injury followed just ten minutes into training camp, and that disappointed the organization. I could see this being the type of incident that would rub Yzerman the wrong way.

Earlier this season, Vrana entered the NHL/NHLPA’s Player Assistance Program and, since returning, cleared waivers and is currently playing with the Grand Rapids Griffins. It’s been an up-and-down stint with the Griffins that saw Vrana become a healthy scratch in back-to-back contests, but he’s since performed better of late. In ten games with the Griffins, Vrana has scored twice and totaled three points while skating to a minus -4 rating.

If the Detroit Red Wings are willing to retain 50% of Vrana’s salary, he will make for an interesting reclamation project for the Canucks. Vrana, 26, has totaled 98 goals and 189 points in 323 NHL games.

I am not ready to give up on Filip Zadina, but if he needs to be the cherry on top to secure the services of Bo Horvat, so be it. Zadina hasn’t lived up to expectations and, before being injured, continued to be snakebitten, and it seemed to get into his head. Zadina possesses so much potential, but it’s still unclear if he can put it all together.

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Perhaps Zadina will turn into the top-six-scoring winger many thought he’d be, but there is a chance he will become the next Evgeny Svechnikov.