Horvat takes over the C
Three and a half seasons after landing on Long Island, Bo Horvat has the letter. The New York Islanders made it official on Monday, handing the 31-year-old the captaincy and making him the 16th man to wear the C in franchise history.
Hardly a shock in that room. The Canadian forward already wore an A as alternate captain over the last two seasons. He also led the team in scoring in 2025-26 with 31 goals and 57 points in 68 games.
The job was there for the taking. Horvat arrives with the strongest resume in the room.
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Nobody has done more since the 2023 trade
Vancouver shipped him to New York in January 2023. Since that deal, nobody has done more for the Islanders. He leads the club with 99 goals and 198 points in that span.
His career goes well beyond Long Island. The Canucks took him in the first round of the 2013 draft, ninth overall. Since then, he has piled up 618 points in 881 regular-season games, including 300 goals and 318 assists. Two All-Star selections round out the picture.
His playoff numbers are more modest: 13 goals and 8 assists in 34 games. Last winter, he helped Canada to silver at the Milano Cortina Olympics.
Timely, and not by accident
The appointment comes just days before NHL training camps open. New York has sorted out its leadership before the first preseason faceoff.
Horvat will now be expected to carry an attack that has leaned on him too heavily at times. His 31 goals last season made up a massive chunk of the Islanders’ offence. Now the coaching staff wants him to pull the younger players up with him, starting with the fresh blood coming through the draft.
The first real test comes quickly. The Islanders get their prep work underway straight away, and the captain will need to set the tone from the opening sessions.
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