The return that Vancouver could be looking for in a Bo Horvat trade is one of the interesting things to consider as this market starts to develop.

It might not be what we expect.

I assumed the Canucks would be asking for a futures-only package, as selling, retooling teams most often do when they’re dealing with an in-season trade for a pending unrestricted free agent. But so far, it seems that Vancouver is looking instead for more of a hockey deal — to upgrade at center ice and/or right-shot defense if possible and bring in a player in the twentysomething age range this Canucks management group has focused on since coming on board.

My TSN colleague Darren Dreger first reported similar information on our Insider Trading segment Thursday evening.

There’s no timeline on a potential trade at this point. If the Canucks get an offer that matches their criteria, a deal could get done quickly. But it could also easily wait until closer to the deadline.

Either way, I think it tells you a couple of things that this is what they’re looking for.

First, it tells you that the Canucks don’t feel that competing for a playoff spot this season is far-fetched. And look at the standings. They’re still only a few points back from a wild-card spot.