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This, after leading the Canucks in points in the second half of 2015-16. It was unbelievable, really. Looking back, it was one of Desjardins’ most indefensible lineup decisions. It also may have been a stroke of evil genius. Either that, or just luck.

But Desjardins’ decision motivated Horvat in what has been a pretty great year which, if things stay the same, will end with him leading this team in points.

“Obviously, I wanted to be at the top of the lineup. You want to be that one-two guy,” Horvat said. “At the same time, starting me there, pushed me to be better.

“It’s what lit the fire and a reason why I’ve had a good year.”

Having a good year is one thing, but this next step, the one with Horvat trying to establish himself as a No. 1 centre, is one of the steepest.

He’s got a ton on his plate, something that was clear in the Chicago game, during which he had to kill penalties for 4:38. That’s draining especially in a game he’s trying to keep his head above water while battering horns with Toews for much of three hours.

Does it ever seem like too much?

“It is a lot,” Horvat said. “At the same time, as a hockey player, you want to have all of those responsibilities. You grow up seeing a lot of players on other teams with those responsibilities.

“Toews has them. (Anze) Kopitar has them. (Patrice) Bergeron has them. All of these great centremen can do all of these things, so that’s what I want to be able to do.”

The one area that’s been the most challenging for Horvat has been killing penalties. Ideally, it’d be great to give Horvat a break from that so he can focus on the offence. He basically spent 24 per cent of his game short-handed Tuesday. That’s not the way to get the most out of him.