Canucks’ Bo Horvat medically cleared to travel, practise

Watch as Bo Horvat blows past John Tavares and roofs a shorthanded goal past Jaroslav Halak.

Vancouver Canucks centre Bo Horvat has been medically cleared to travel and will practise with the team in Edmonton on Friday, the team announced on Thursday.

While the Canucks have not announced when the 22-year-old will play for the first time since fracturing his foot on Dec. 5, they did say that he would return to the lineup soon.

Saturday’s game against the Edmonton Oilers marks the first of back-to-back games the Canucks will play on the road. They play the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday, so it is possible he is in the lineup then.

Horvat sustained the injury in a game against the Carolina Hurricanes and it was originally announced on Dec. 7 — six weeks ago to the day — that he would miss up to six weeks.

The ninth overall pick in the 2013 draft was in the midst of a career year putting up 10 goals and 10 assists when the fracture sidelined him, just 28 games into the season. At the time, the London, Ont. native he ranked second on the team in both goals and assists.

The Canucks sat in third place in the Pacific Division when they lost Horvat but have since fallen down the standings in the 17 games he has missed. They’ve gone 4-11-2 in his absence and are now only ahead of the Arizona Coyotes in the Pacific Division and sit 11 points out of a wildcard spot.

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