Mar 30, 2026; Elmont, New York, USA; New York Islanders center Bo Horvat (14) reacts during the second period against the Pittsburgh Penguins at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Bo Horvat has already shown the mettle necessary to wear the captain’s “C” with the New York Islanders. Now, with the departure of Anders Lee, it should be his title to possess.
Lee’s 14-year tenure with the Islanders came to an end on Wednesday evening, when he signed a three-year deal worth $5.4 million annually with the Utah Mammoth. It leaves New York with a vacancy at the captain’s spot for the first time in eight years, when John Tavares so famously shunned the team that drafted him to join the Maple Leafs. Lee was quickly named captain and hepled lead the Islanders to one of their most successful spells since the dynastic days of the early 1980s, which included back-to-back trips to the Stanley Cup semifinals.
There will come a time when Matthew Schaefer ultimately takes over as team captain. The generational 18-year-old is fresh off a Calder Trophy and one of the greatest campaigns by a rookie defenseman in the history of the game. But Horvat is the no-brainer choice for at least the final five years of his contract with the Islanders.
Since his arrival in 2023, he has not only been one of their most invaluable forwards but also ensured accountability remains in the locker room. It was what ingratiated him almost immediately upon his acquisition from the Vancouver Canucks — an organization where he once captained.
“Nobody is a harder critic on me than me… and as a team,” he told amNewYork back in 2023. “I’m just speaking personally, right? Some people can see it completely differently, but I try to be honest with myself and with the team. Accountability is such a big thing, I think.”
With it, he quickly became one of the team’s most important leaders and voices, one who should have the opportunity to represent the franchise at its highest post.
For more on Bo Horvat and the Islanders, visit AMNY.com