Horvat had been the Canucks captain since the start of the 2019-20 season before
he was traded to the New York Islanders on Monday
.
"He'd be my vote if it came to it and I'm sure one of these days it's going to go on his chest," Horvat said at the 2023 Honda NHL All-Star Game Media Day on Thursday. "So, if it does, I couldn't be more happy for him and he's obviously going to be a great captain."
Horvat and Pettersson will play together one more time with the Pacific Division in the 2023 Honda NHL All-Star Game at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Florida, on Saturday (3 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, CBC, SN, TVAS) before Horvat begins the next stage of his career with the Islanders.
Selected by Vancouver with the No. 5 pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, Pettersson is in his fifth season in the League. The 24-year-old center leads the Canucks with 58 points (21 goals, 37 assists) in 47 games this season, putting him to surpass his NHL career-high 68 points (32 goals, 36 assists) in 80 games last season.
Horvat has also seen him mature as a leader for Vancouver.
"He's grown even more this year with his leadership on the ice," Horvat said. "He's starting to say stuff in the room, and he's really come into his own this year. I can't say enough good stuff about 'Petey' the way he's played this year and the way he handles himself and he's emerging as a great leader and a great player and I'm sure he's going to take on a bigger role here, an even bigger role than he already has."
Pettersson said he'd like to take on larger leadership role in Horvat's absence. Vancouver (20-26-3) trails the Colorado Avalanche by 14 points for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference, and more moves could be coming before the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline on March 3.
"Whatever the team wants from me, I'll try to do my best," Pettersson said. "… I think more of a leader by example. I'm not the most vocal guy, so I like to lead with my play on the ice."
