Canucks defenseman Filip Hronek returned to the lineup last week from a shoulder injury but that return was short-lived. Speaking with reporters Friday at his pregame news conference, head coach Rick Tocchet indicated that they’ve decided to shut the blueliner down for the rest of the season:
"There’s really no reason for him to come back. If this were a playoff game, he’d be in the game, but it’s not a playoff game. Every game is important to us obviously, but not at the expense of… he’s going to have a long time to get his shoulder perfect."
The 25-year-old was somewhat surprisingly acquired from Detroit just before the trade deadline earlier this month with Vancouver opting to add to their back end despite not being in a playoff position. Of course, Hronek isn’t a rental player with another year left on his deal plus one more season of RFA eligibility after that. GM Patrik Allvin made the move with the hopes that Hronek could benefit from a bigger role on a new team to help solidify his back end.
Unfortunately, the early results on that front are basically inconclusive. Hronek will wind up playing in just four games with Vancouver, and while he logged more than 24 minutes a night, that’s far too small of a sample size to derive any meaningful conclusions from. Overall, his point output this season winds up nearly identical to that of 2021-22; he finishes with nine goals and 29 assists in 60 games compared to nine goals and 30 helpers in 64 contests a season ago.
Tocchet indicated that Hronek is fine with the decision to sit him for the final couple of weeks of the season to give him ample time to fully heal up his shoulder for 2023-24. If he’s able to log upward of 24 minutes a night for the Canucks next season, he’ll certainly give their back end a significant boost.
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