from Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic,

The return that Vancouver could be looking for in a Bo Horvat trade is one of the interesting things to consider as this market starts to develop.

It might not be what we expect.

I assumed the Canucks would be asking for a futures-only package, as selling, retooling teams most often do when they’re dealing with an in-season trade for a pending unrestricted free agent. But so far, it seems that Vancouver is looking instead for more of a hockey deal — to upgrade at center ice and/or right-shot defense if possible and bring in a player in the twentysomething age range this Canucks management group has focused on since coming on board...

And the possibility of Horvat re-signing with his new team as part of a trade? It’s hard, but we did see it happen last season with Hampus Lindholm after being traded from the Ducks to the Bruins. I also wonder if non-playoff teams with cap room to spare would try to get in on Horvat, viewing the acquisition price as worth it in order to cut off the competition ahead of July 1 free agency. That’s a longer shot, I think, but you can’t rule it out.

I would also never completely close the door on Horvat re-signing with the Canucks, even though those chances are certainly more remote now than they’ve been in the past. Sometimes when the reality of a possible trade hits you — both as a front office and as a player — there can be a sudden change of heart.

At the moment, all signs point to the Canucks front office exploring the trade route after being unable to sign Horvat a couple of weeks ago. But stranger things have happened.

more (paid) and additional trade chatter