Vancouver Canucks general manager Jim Benning is confident the team will have restricted free agent Bo Horvat signed before training camp opens.

Horvat, who is coming off a career year with 20 goals and 32 assists in his third season with the Canucks, currently remains unsigned.

Benning told the Vancouver Province that talks with the 22-year-old are moving forward and he believes the two sides will soon reach an extension.

“I think the talks are progressing and I think we’ll get something done,” Benning told the Province “It’s a typical negotiation because he’s a real good player and a good person, but I’m not going to comment publicly on the negotiation process.

“I would say that everything has been positive to this point and we’ll just continue to go through the process because Bo is a very good young player for us and we want to figure something out that is fair to him and fair to the team.”

Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province predicts Horvat will earn roughly $5 million annually on his next contract, close to the same salaries of Mika Zibanejad and Nino Niederreiter, who both signed new deals arbitration-eligible restricted free agents this summer. Zibanejad received $5.3 million for the New York Rangers after posting 14 goals and 37 points in 56 games last year, while Niederreiter's AAV came in at $5.2 million with the Minnesota Wild after he cracked the 20-goal mark for the third straight season, posting 25 goals and 32 assists.

Selected ninth overall by Vancouver in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, Horvat has 49 goals and 68 assists over 231 career games in the NHL.

Horvat is one of the bigger names among unsigned restricted free agents, along with Boston Bruins winger David Pastrnak and Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl.