On June 18, the Vancouver Canucks checked another item off of their off-season business to-do list as they locked up defenceman Filip Hronek to an eight-year contract with a cap hit of $7.25 million per season. Signing Hronek was a major item on Patrik Allvin’s agenda as Hronek became an important player for Vancouver this season. He turned into the Robin to Quinn Hughes’ Batman as the two defencemen were paired throughout most of the season on the Canucks’ first pair and complemented each other well. For what Hronek brings to the organization and how important he is to the team’s success, this contract will turn out to be a huge victory for Vancouver.
Both the Term and Cap Hit Are a Win for the Canucks
Getting Hronek under contract for the next eight years is a major win for the Canucks. In his little time with the team, his services were greatly appreciated and he completed the top pair that they had been searching for. Although his stats don’t jump out at you since he only scored five goals this season from the back end, what should get fans really excited is the 43 assists he was able to record. The majority of those assists were due to him playing with captain Quinn Hughes.
The Canucks had been looking for a player to match Hughes with for years since the best player he played with was most likely Luke Schenn in his very limited role due to his age. But with a young player like Hronek coming in, Hughes has been able to take off and blossom into the player he was meant to be because he has a steady partner like Hronek to lean on. Locking up Hronek to this deal guarantees that the pair will be together for at least the next three years as that is when Hughes will become an unrestricted free agent and the Canucks will need to negotiate with him on an extension.
The cap hit for Hronek is also very sustainable for the Canucks, especially on a long-term contract. At an average annual value (AAV) of $7.25 million, years one and potentially two may seem like a slight overpayment seeing as Hronek has not shown he can be a true number-one defenceman for more than one season. But with Vancouver having him locked up for eight years, the salary cap is expected to reach record levels in the next three years barring something going horribly wrong like say a global pandemic. So even if the first two years are a bit of an overpayment, the years afterwards will make the contract look so much better because the Canucks will have a number one right-handed defenceman at an incredibly affordable cap hit. Even if Hronek’s abilities tail off a little and he has to play on the second pair, his cap hit will still be affordable.
Hronek is a Player That the Canucks Need
When the Canucks acquired Hronek at last season’s trade deadline, many did not know the effect he could have on the team. He was only able to play four games last season due to injury so entering this season, he was a bit of an enigma. But what he blossomed into this season was the number one defenceman on the right side that the Canucks had needed since Chris Tanev left the team in free agency back in 2020. He showed how steady he can be on the top pair and how effective he could be on the penalty kill. But most importantly, he became the defence partner that Hughes had been looking for.
Related: Canucks Re-Sign Filip Hronek to 8-Year Contract
The Canucks needed to keep Hronek as he is an integral part of their defence core, and locking him up for the maximum term and at a reasonable cap hit is a win for Allvin and Jim Rutherford. Now the Canucks’ president and general manager need to plan their next move as off-season deals will need to commence in a matter of days.
