New York Islanders
Trade Anniversary: Horvat Reflects on Trade from Canucks; Palmieri Looks Back on His

PHILADELPHIA, PA — The New York Islanders have won five straight games to close out a season-long stretch of seven straight home games. During the final six games of the stretch, Bo Horvat registered five goals and three assists, good for eight points in the last six games.
Revisiting the Trade:
Today marks the two-year anniversary of the blockbuster trade that sent Horvat to the Islanders. At the same time, the Canucks acquired Anthony Beauvillier, Aatu Raty, and the Islanders’ 2023 first-round pick.
In 159 games with the Islanders, Horvat has recorded 58 goals and 122 points. New York has made late charges into the postseason in both seasons, with the Carolina Hurricanes extinguishing hopes. Horvat now wears an “A” on his jersey, replacing the retired Cal Clutterbuck as an alternate captain this season.
For Vancouver, Raty’s hype quickly dissipated, and he’s only played in 23 games while recording just five points. Beauvillier has since been traded twice more and is now on his fourth team since the initial trade, with the Pittsburgh Penguins on a one-year deal. As for the 2023 first-rounder, the Canucks flipped it to Detroit for Filip Hronek. While Hronek’s done his part, he doesn’t make up for Horvat.
Considering the Canucks are now in utter free fall with no leader in their room, it’s safe to say they miss Horvat.
Horvat, Palmieri Talk about the Trade:
After the morning skate in Philadelphia, Bo Horvat spoke with NYI Hockey Now about the trade two years later:
“Obviously, it was a pretty crazy day. We were mid-break (All-Star), and I got the call, and it’s so overwhelming and surprising. It definitely wasn’t easy for sure, me and my family, but at the same time, it started this whole journey for me too, right? So, I couldn’t be more grateful to be here and in the position I’m in with these guys.”
When asked about what it was like to enter that room for the first time, Horvat said, “Everybody’s just so close in here, working towards the same goal. Everybody wants to win. There’s just a good vibe in this room and it’s just such a good group of guys that you can get along with every single one of them. So yeah, it was a really easy transition. Everybody just made me feel really welcome.”
Kyle Palmieri, who also arrived via a midseason trade in 2021, spoke about Horvat’s arrival and how important it still is for the Islanders: “It was huge. Obviously, it was during the (All-Star) break, so it was a couple of days before we got to meet him and skate with him, but he’s been great for us. He’s a leader on and off the ice. He brings a lot of energy and has been just a phenomenal addition. He makes an impact on our team every night.”
Palmieri Reflects on His 2021 Trade to the Islanders:
After discussing Horvat’s trade with Palmieri, I asked Palmieri how it compared to the 2020-21 season when the New Jersey Devils sent Palmieri to the Islanders ahead of that season’s trade deadline.
The trade, weeks before the 2021 trade deadline, occurred on April 7. COVID really made things weird.
Here’s what Palmieri had to say: “Yeah, it was very different. The COVID year was just so weird; you’re planning against the same teams seven or eight times. Once you play against those guys enough, I felt like going into that new room was a little easier. Bo, obviously, we only saw once or twice a year, so I don’t know how many guys he knew just from being around the league, but it’s definitely a difference with my situation. I also had a couple of ex-teammates with me. Trav (Travis Zajac) came over there with me, and Greener (Andy Greene) and Schneids (Cory Schneider) were already there, so it was a more familiar room for me.”
Those ’21 Islanders, fueled by Palmieri’s acquisition, made it to the Conference Finals and fell to the Tampa Bay Lightning in seven games.