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Bo Horvats NHL comparable best case scenario


garrybettman69

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Rod Brind'Amour

  • 9th overall pick in 1988 (made the NHL as a 19-year-old in 1989)
  • Center (shoots left)
  • 6'1" 200+lbs physical freak (nicknamed "Rod the Bod")
  • Selke in 2006, 2007
  • Stanley Cup in 2006
  • 20 year NHL career
  • 1184 points and 1100 PIMS in 1484 GP

haha that was my wish as well

Rod was one of the all time great leaders and not to mention built like a brick shythouse. That is the kind of player that teams get built around.

Bo's only 19 but I have a feeling he's going to steadily progress... not have a "breakout year" or anything like that which might lead to a let down the next... just a steady solid progression where he just gets a little better, smarter, and stronger every year.

If he develops into anything close to being the player Rod was... :towel:

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I have said Kesler as a comparison in the past, given that Horvat just a season before Kesler was traded the comparison seems almost too easy. After watching Horvat play some more though its clear he doesn't have Keslers speed but has equally strong hockey sense. Kesler is also more of a shooter whereas Horvat's best offensive skills seem to be playmaking.

Given his high hockey sense, faceoff skills, takeway ability and passing skills but only average skating ability Horvat kind of reminds me more of one of the Koivu brothers or Tyler Tyfoli

Usually I kind of ignore the threads I think of as "wild speculation" but this time I will bite.

Horvat has very little in common with Kesler. What they have in common is that they both play center and they are both good defensive fowards. But their defence comes from different skills. Kesler is an excellent skater and plays an aggressive physical game. Horvat is more of a positional player -- always in the right place. Horvat is also a much cleaner player, does not dive or whine, and seems to be a much better teammate. On offense Kesler is a shooter while Horvat seems to be a better playmaker (or "distributor" as people now like to say).

I kind of like the "joke" that Jean Beliveau is a good comparable, I am old enough that I saw Beliveau play quite a bit (on TV). He is one of the best players to play the game, and I am not suggesting that it is realistic that Horvat would ever get to that level.

But they have some things in common: Beliveau was a great leader (as I think Horvat could be). He was a very clean player, but very good at both ends of the ice, and he played a good positional game. He was an excellent playmaker but could shoot pretty well also. And, like Horvat, he was physically strong and could not be pushed around. He was very loyal -- the kind of guy you want to have a leadership role. He made players around him better -- on and off the ice. Bo is just 19 but he could be that kind of a guy as long as his skill continue to progress.

Right now he is a lock to be at least a good 3C who can kill penalties, play shutdown, take key faceoffs late in a close game, and provide some secondary scoring -- like a slightly improved Malhotra. But I think the odds are better than 50-50 that he tops out at 2C as a solid top 6 player who plays in all situations and provides a lot of leadership.

Despite my comments about Beliveau, I think it is a real longshot that Horvat would ever be a good 1C. His offensive instincts and creativeiy just are not quite good enough.

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So since Brind'Amor was nicknamed "Rod the Bod" becuase of his fitness and the obvious rhymeme with his first name does that mean Horvat will be nicknamed "Bo the Ho" because of the rhyme, his last name starts with Ho and since his young, single and a popular hockey player in Vancouver he's likely to get plenty of well..... you know?

I highly doubt Bo is going to turn into a roxy sloot like Shane Obrien or Patrick Kane.

kid has class

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Fantasy: Steve Yzerman

Best case: Trevor Linden (lead by example/scores the clutch goals/shows up in every big game)

Worst case: Manny Malhotra (face off king/defensively responsible/team first guy who can chip in offensively)

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[...]

Right now he is a lock to be at least a good 3C who can kill penalties, play shutdown, take key faceoffs late in a close game, and provide some secondary scoring -- like a slightly improved Malhotra. But I think the odds are better than 50-50 that he tops out at 2C as a solid top 6 player who plays in all situations and provides a lot of leadership.

Despite my comments about Beliveau, I think it is a real longshot that Horvat would ever be a good 1C. His offensive instincts and creativeiy just are not quite good enough.

John Madden?

Agreed that he is a really really longshot at becoming a 1C due to limited offensive capability. I don't see it happening and the odds indeed are better that he tops out as a 2C, like you say.

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If any four/five of the following happens:

Bo Horvat turns into Rod Brind'Amour...

Brendan Gaunce turns into Manny Malhotra...

Cole Cassels turns into a non-injury prone David Bolland...

Jake Virtanen turns into John Leclair...

Jared McCann turns into speedy version of Mike Richards...

Jordan Subban turns into Brian Rafalski...

Gustav Forsling turns into Tobias Enstrom...

Miles Liberati turns into Liberace...

Nikita Tryamkin turns into Zdeno Chara...

Anton Cederholm turns into Mattias Ohlund...

Thatcher Demko turns into Ken Dryden...

Hunter Shinkaruk turns into Mike Camalleri...

Andrey Pedan turns into a poor-man's version of Chris Pronger...

Ben Hutton and Patrick McNally turns into a poor-man's version of Rob Blake...

Jacob Markstrom turns into Pekka Rinne...

Niklas Jensen turns into Max Pacioretty...

Linden Vey turns into Patrick Sharp or Justin Williams...

Frank Corrado turns into Johnny Oduya...

the future of the Canucks will look to be a good one.

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If any four/five of the following happens:

Bo Horvat turns into Rod Brind'Amour...

Brendan Gaunce turns into Manny Malhotra...

Andrew Cassels turns into a non-injury prone David Bolland...

Jake Virtanen turns into John Leclair...

Jared McCann turns into speedy version of Mike Richards...

Jordan Subban turns into Brian Rafalski...

Gustav Forsling turns into Tobias Enstrom...

Miles Liberati turns into Liberace...

Nikita Tryamkin turns into Zdeno Chara...

Anton Cederholm turns into Mattias Ohlund...

Thatcher Demko turns into Ken Dryden...

Hunter Shinkaruk turns into Mike Camalleri...

Andrey Pedan turns into a poor-man's version of Chris Pronger...

Ben Hutton and Patrick McNally turns into a poor-man's version of Rob Blake...

Jacob Markstrom turns into Pekka Rinne...

Niklas Jensen turns into Max Pacioretty...

Linden Vey turns into Patrick Sharp or Justin Williams...

Frank Corrado turns into Johnny Oduya...

the future of the Canucks will look to be a good one.

Cole Cassels*

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Dustin Brown and David Backes are very different players, lil guy :rolleyes:

Yeah, one of them is actually a coward - the other guy is the captain of the St. Louis Blues

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Kesler was compared to Linden and the 2011 playoffs proved it to be an accurate projection

lol, what are you even saying. Kesler compared to Linden is accurate? Maybe slightly in play, but certainly not in class.

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