PHILADELPHIA — Brock Nelson had the opportunity to link up with his new teammate, Bo Horvat, down in Florida during the NHL All-Star Game break shortly after the Islanders acquired the center from the Vancouver Canucks.
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Since then, the excitement to share the ice with the 27-year-old has only built — especially with the promise of Nelson and Horvat linking up early and often on New York’s top power-play unit.
So much for relishing the rare chance for some mid-season rest and relaxation.
“It probably shook everybody just a little bit. Nobody really saw it coming,” Nelson said on Monday ahead of Horvat’s debut in Philadelphia against the Flyers. “You hear that news and you’re like, ‘alright… let’s get back and have a practice and see what’s going on and get into it.’
“But it was probably more stressful for Bo to sit on that for a couple days.”
Stressful, excruciating, nerve-wracking: Whatever you’d like to call it, Horvat appears to have felt the strain of the wait to finally suit up for his new team. After all, this is the first time making a team debut since his first-ever NHL game with the Canucks back in 2014.
“Well when you put it like that, it’s scary,” Horvat told amNewYork. “I’m nervous. [There are] butterflies… there’d be something wrong if I wasn’t.”
Such an apprehensive feeling is only natural. After all, he’s learning a brand-new system with brand-new teammates on the fly while being thrust into the middle of a playoff race with 30 games left in the regular season. Though a grace period from himself and his new team is important.
“I don’t really know what to expect obviously, I’ve never really been traded,” Horvat said. “But I would assume it’s going to take me a little bit to get used to the systems and the chemistry with the guys I’m playing with. So I’m not expecting a lot for myself [immediately].
“Obviously, I put that pressure on myself, but at the same time, I have to realize it might take some time and hopefully, I jump off on the right foot.”
But Horvat’s addition to the locker room has already worked wonders for a team that sputtered across the finish line before the All-Star break. The Islanders had lost 10 of 11 games before two consecutive wins over the Detroit Red Wings and Vegas Golden Knights, but a stagnate offense recorded just two goals or fewer in 12 of its previous 13 games.
“It brings a little bit of energy to the room, which was needed,” defenseman Noah Dobson said. “I thought we had a tough stretch there… the last couple of games before the [All-Star break]. I think everyone’s just really excited to get going and I think the break was good for us.
“We got around 30 games left. Let’s have a good push here and I think the guys are rejuvenated and ready to go.”
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