Canucks Below the Microscope: Who’s Filip Hronek?

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We’re wanting again on the 2022-23 Vancouver Canucks with a spotlight in the present day on Filip Hronek. Within the coming weeks, we’ll break down the season and try how participant conditions mission going into 2023-24.

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Filip Hronek

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Age: 25.
Place: Defenceman.
Profession stats: GP: 309; G: 30; A: 127; Pts: 157; PIM: 162.
Contract standing: Final 12 months of a three-year deal that pays him $4.4 million per season.
How 2022-23 went: Sturdy in Detroit, no story in Vancouver

In Detroit, fairly properly. In Vancouver, nearly nonexistent.

The evening earlier than the Canucks traded for Hronek, he damage his shoulder.

It was practically a month earlier than he made his debut with Vancouver, after which he solely performed 4 video games.

The 39 factors he racked up in 60 video games for Detroit tied his profession finest. The only help he acquired in Vancouver set a profession excessive.

He had been a giant minutes-muncher for Detroit, however this previous season his common ice time really went down. That’s due to the emergence of Moritz Seider.

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There’s little doubt, although, that even on a foul group just like the Detroit Purple Wings — who’ve been method under .500 since Hronek got here into the league — he was a constructive affect.

Not a lot good occurred when the Purple Wings performed, however with Hronek on the ice, no less than they didn’t get any worse.

And that’s what the Canucks are banking on in buying him.

At worst, he’s a really competent defenceman.

However perhaps he’s greater than that. Which is what the Canucks hope, that including him to a mixture that has Quinn Hughes on the prime will enhance his sport.

Hughes attracts the robust matchups, Hronek cleans up on second-tier opposition.

That’s the idea anyway.

How the longer term seems: Who will he play with?

Hronek, the primary Czech defenceman to go well with up for Vancouver in 15 years — Lukas Krajicek was the final — is an fascinating weapon for the Canucks’ blueline.

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He’s clearly prime of the heap amongst the Canucks’ right-side defencemen. Tyler Myers is the one different common at the moment on an NHL deal. Ethan Bear is a pending restricted free agent, and was assured on the finish of the season that he would get a brand new contract. However as of final week, his agent advised Postmedia there was nonetheless nothing to report a couple of new deal for his shopper.

Neither Myers nor Bear is of Hronek’s high quality. Hronek is a greater skater than each, a greater puck handler than each, and a greater decision-maker than each.

That doesn’t essentially imply he’ll skate with Hughes, although.

Bear was a very good match with Hughes this 12 months, and the Canucks imagine Oliver Ekman-Larsson could be rejuvenated — and perhaps they suppose a very good skater like Hronek is the correct companion for him.

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Biggest strengths: Skating. Passing. Imaginative and prescient.

Biggest weak point: He’s not an ideal defender, however he has improved since arriving within the NHL. He had points at instances defending in opposition to the push, one thing the Canucks struggled to do underneath Bruce Boudreau, however improved at underneath Rick Tocchet.

Is he commerce bait?: No. The Canucks simply added him in a giant commerce. They suppose he is a crucial a part of the close to future.

The large query: Wholesome, he’ll be a powerful contributor — however is there any purpose to be apprehensive within the long-term concerning the shoulder harm he suffered earlier than getting traded, or the concussion he suffered in December when Ryan Reaves crushed him with an enormous open-ice hit?

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Extra from the Canucks Below the Microscope collection:

• Canucks Below the Microscope: Ethan Bear
• Canucks Below the Microscope: Oliver Ekman-Larsson
• Canucks Below the Microscope: Thatcher Demko
• Canucks Below the Microscope: Arturs Silovs
• Canucks Below the Microscope: Elias Pettersson
• Canucks Below the Microscope: Nils Hoglander
• Canucks Below the Microscope: Phil Di Giuseppe
• Canucks Below the Microscope: Sheldon Dries
• Canucks Below the Microscope: Vitali Kravtsov
• Canucks Below the Microscope: Andrei Kuzmenko
• Canucks Below the Microscope: Vasily Podkolzin
• Canucks Below the Microscope: Kyle Burroughs
• Canucks Below the Microscope: J.T. Miller
• Canucks Below the Microscope: Brock Boeser
• Canucks Below the Microscope: Jack Studnicka
• Canucks Below the Microscope: Quinn Hughes
• Canucks Below The Microscope: Nils Aman
• Canucks Below the Microscope: Anthony Beauvillier
• Canucks Below the Microscope: Dakota Joshua
• Canucks Below the Microscope: Conor Garland

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