Bo Horvat Traded to Islanders; Canucks Get Anthony Beauvillier, Aatu Raty, Draft Pick

The New York Islanders are upgrading their attack.

They acquired center Bo Horvat from the Vancouver Canucks on Monday in exchange for forward Anthony Beauvillier, center Aatu Raty and a 2023 conditional first-round pick.

The 27-year-old Horvat is having an excellent season, posting 31 goals and 23 assists. At 54 points in total, he's within striking distance of his previous career high (61 points) through only 49 games.

Beauvillier and Ratu, meanwhile, have combined for 22 points on the season, with Beauvillier accounting for 20 of them.

It's a solid upgrade for an Islanders team that finds itself two points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. The Islanders are currently sitting at 55 points.

Suffice to say, the move was seen as a clear intent by the Islanders to fight into the playoff picture:

After three straight playoff berths and two trips to either the conference finals or Stanley Cup semifinals, the Islanders failed to make the playoffs last season and find themselves on the fringes again this year. It was clear the team had to make a splash, and Horvat's career year made him one of the biggest names on the market.

The Islanders rank just 25th in the NHL at 2.85 goals per game, so addressing the forward position was a must. Anything less than a playoff berth now will be seen as a major disappointment for this current group of Islanders.