It’s been a rough stretch for the Vancouver Canucks since early December as the team has lost 14 games in that span. Injuries have been one of the key factors that have dropped a once promising team earlier this season near the bottom of the Pacific Division. However, the Canucks got some good news today, as TSN’s Jeff Patterson reports that center Bo Horvat will be activated off of injured reserve today and is expected to play in tonight’s game against the Winnipeg Jets.
To make room for him on the roster, Vancouver placed defenseman Erik Gudbranson on injured reserve with back spasms. He missed Saturday’s game with the injury. The 26-year-old blueliner has played in just 32 games this season with injuries and is rumored to be one of the Canucks top trade chips as the trade deadline nears.
Horvat was shut down for six weeks after suffering a broken foot/ankle injury on Dec. 5. He was medically cleared to travel with the team on Thursday, so the activation is not a surprise. Horvat was on pace for another solid season when he went down. In 28 games with Vancouver, the 22-year-old 2013 first-round pick had 10 goals and 10 assists. His return couldn’t have come at a better time as Vancouver is struggling on offense. They currently rank 26th in the league in scoring, averaging 2.63 goals per game.