Bo Horvat is back in familiar territory.
On Monday, the New York Islanders announced that Horvat has been named the 16th captain in franchise history, putting the ‘C’ on one of the team’s most established veterans.
The move fills the opening left by Anders Lee, who had served as captain since John Tavares signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2018. Lee later departed the organization after signing a three-year contract with the Utah Mammoth this past July.
For Horvat, this is not new ground. The 31-year-old also wore the captain’s label in Vancouver, where he led the Canucks for parts of four seasons before the Islanders landed him in a January 2023 trade.
Since arriving on Long Island, Horvat has been central to everything the Islanders have done offensively. He has averaged more than 30 goals in each of his three full seasons with the club, including a career-best 33 in 2023-24. Even with 14 games missed because of injury this past season, the London, Ont. native still produced 31 goals and 26 assists for 57 points, pacing the Islanders in goals and finishing second on the team in scoring behind Mathew Barzal.
His production has already put him in rare company in the blue and orange. Horvat has scored more goals, 99, and more points, 198, than any other player in Islanders history.
During his time with the club, he has helped the team reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs twice, with both runs ending in first-round losses to the Carolina Hurricanes in 2023 and 2024. The Islanders have missed the postseason in each of the past two years.
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For the Islanders, the bigger question now is how Finleys recovery shapes the next step in his development, especially with rookie camp serving as the first real checkpoint after surgery. He is participating, but the contact piece remains the hurdle, and until that changes, his path this fall will stay more about patience than projection. [Read more 🡒]
Islanders Have One Leadership Decision Left After Bo Horvats Promotion
Bo Horvats promotion to captain has given the Islanders a more defined hierarchy, but it has also left one opening to sort through as the season approaches. With Horvat becoming the 16th captain in franchise history, the club now has a chance to choose an alternate who can help carry some of the day-to-day leadership load around a roster that is still shaping its identity.
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Islanders Just Sent A Big Message About Bo Horvat
The Islanders have made their latest leadership call around Bo Horvat, a player who arrived in 2023 and quickly became one of the most important figures in the room. Since joining the club, he has been an alternate captain and has set the pace offensively, while bringing the kind of experience that comes from a notable NHL career and time representing Canada on the international stage.
Now the organization is officially putting the weight of the crest on him in a bigger way, a sign of how quickly he has earned trust since landing on Long Island. For a team looking for steadiness and a clear voice, the move says plenty about where Horvat stands within the group, even if the full impact of the decision will play out only as the season unfolds. [Read more 🡒]