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Even Horvat, who does have lots of that Trevor Linden-esque “say the right thing” in him, got it.

“You don’t want to put a 19-year-old in those kinds of situations where he feels he has to score points or he feels he has to win that big draw,” Horvat says, like being 19 was three or four years ago.

You know, it does feel that way, even if he’s just 20 years old now.

“It’s such a young age. Whenever Willie did put me in those situations, I knew what I had to do. I knew what to do on the power play. I knew when I was out there to win a big draw.

“Toward the end of the year, he started gaining that trust in me. I gained a ton of respect for him.”

Horvat then goes on to talk about how this Canucks team feels like his team. It’s amazing to think only a year ago he was this wide-eyed kid. OK, I tend to doubt Horvat was ever a kid. He seems like one of those guys who had a man’s frame in Grade 6.

Last year, Horvat was just hoping to cling to the roster. A player who was out of his element at points in training camp and the preseason. A player who was trying not to make a mistake and screw up this gift the Canucks were ready to hand him — a roster spot for opening night.

Horvat, of course, made the most out of it. And everyone was riveted for the ride, watching him develop over the course of the second half of the season.

And those who were paying attention went a little bananas when he was really feeling it, trying those end-to-end rushes, which showcased speed literally no one thought he had when he was drafted in 2013.