McKenzie: Canucks will be smart with Horvat

Bob McKenzie was on TSN 1040 Thursday afternoon.

On his sense of Bo Horvat, whether or not he’ll make the Vancouver Canucks, and if he’d put money on it happening:

“I wouldn’t put money on it. It’s one of those ones where it wouldn’t surprise me, but I think the Canucks are smart enough here and I think Jimmy Benning and Willie Desjardins will be smart enough here that if they’re going to do it they’re going to do it for the right reasons and not the wrong reasons.

“The wrong reason is ‘Look everyone, one of our draft picks made it. One of our draft picks is in the lineup. Isn’t that great? We’re doing a great job here. Here comes the youth. Here comes the kids. This is tangible evidence that even though we preserved the veteran core of this team, with Sedins and Bieksa and Edler and everyone else, that we are bringing along young talent and here’s the tangible proof of that, so get off our back.’ That’s the bad reason to do it.

“The good reason to do it is that he earns it. That he’s a better option than Linden Vey or Brad Richardson or Shawn Matthias or whoever you might have pencilled in behind Sedin in the centre ice spot. And let’s be honest, it’s wide open to that extent. It’s an area of weakness, I guess, but it’s an area they also think they have addressed and that Vey or Matthias or Richardson are going to be able to step up and fill the void created by Kesler.”

Source: TSN 1040/ Transcript: Nichols on Hockey