EXCLUSIVE: Jean-Gabriel Pageau Recalls Bo Horvat Trade Ahead Of Islanders vs. Canucks
Any time the Islanders host the Vancouver Canucks, the Bo Horvat trade inevitably comes to mind. With the Canucks in town, I caught up Pageau to ask him what he remembers from that day.
ELMONT, NY — Any time the New York Islanders host the Vancouver Canucks, the Bo Horvat trade always comes to mind.
With the Canucks in town, I caught up with Islanders forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau to ask him what he remembers from the day Horvat became an Islander, which was Jan. 30, 2023.
Happy Free Friday!
Stefen Rosner: Can you take me through what you remember when you first found out Bo Horvat was coming here? Do you remember where you were?
Jean-Gabriel Pageau: "Yeah, I remember. I think I was on a trip, if I’m not mistaken. It was during that break. Obviously, we lost Beauvillier — the other “Bo” — and that was tough. He was a good friend and a great teammate. But on the other side, you see a player like Horvat coming in, knowing how good he is on the ice, and everything you hear about him off the ice is positive, too. That’s why he was the captain in Vancouver. It brought excitement and gave the room a boost of energy. Knowing you have a player of that quality coming in — and a great person first — made coming back from the break fun. There was joy coming back to the rink, meeting him, and getting the chance to play with him.”
Rosner: What kind of message did it send when Lou went out and acquired a player of that caliber?
Pageau: “It showed the confidence he had in the group and the trust he had in us to make a push. It’s a great feeling to know your GM and the organization want more and want to win. That always feels good as a player.”
Rosner: How tough was it to lose Beauvillier, given how much he meant to you guys during that run?
Pageau: “He was such a good teammate. Always joking around, always bringing 110 percent every day. He scored some massive goals for this organization and really helped the team take a step forward. It’s always sad to see a friend go. I was close to him, and we’re still close — that never changes. But it’s a business decision. They wanted a good player back, and unfortunately, he had to take that hit. When we think of Beauvillier, we’d take him on our team again anytime.”
Lineup Notes & Projection vs. Canucks
Mathew Barzal (maintenance, not knee related) did not take part in the morning skate but will take warmups and is likely to play.
Bo Horvat (lower body) did skate on his own Friday morning.
Ilya Sorokin will start.
Adam Boqvist will play alongside Scott Mayfield, with Marshall Warren serving as the seventh defenseman.
Emil Heineman -- Mathew Barzal -- Jonathan Drouin
Anders Lee -- Jean-Gabriel Pageau -- Simon Holmstrom
Anthony Duclair -- Calum Ritchie -- Maxim Shabanov
Kyle MacLean -- Casey Cizikas -- Marc Gatcomb
Matthew Schaefer -- Ryan Pulock
Adam Pelech -- Tony DeAngelo
Adam Boqvist -- Scott Mayfield
Ilya Sorokin
David Rittich
New York Islanders Make Annual Hospital Visits
The New York Islanders made their annual holiday hospital visits today. The players and mascot, Sparky, visited seven hospitals throughout the region, including: Cohen Children’s Medical Center, New Hyde Park; Stony Brook Hospital, Stony Brook; St. Mary’s Children’s Hospital, Bayside; Nassau University Medical Center, East Meadow; Good Samaritan Hospital, West Islip; NYU Langone Hospital-Long Island, Mineola; and Maimonides Medical Center, Brooklyn.
Players visited hospital playrooms and children’s bedside as well, distributing toys, providing autographs, and taking pictures.
Boy that First Period was Ugly! Without Horvat leading this team the compete is sad. Detroit was the same, Sorokin was playing out of his mind which kept the game close. This team is still thin on talent and grit. The injuries to Romanov, Palmeri, and Horvat are too much to overcome.