Vancouver Canucks defenseman Filip Hronek will be out of the lineup when the team faces the Buffalo Sabres on Friday.
Hronek appeared to get hurt at the end of Wednesday night’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins when he was hit awkwardly into the boards.
Looks like Hronek got injured on this play late in the third period last night.
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— CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) November 28, 2024
Canucks coach Rick Tocchet said before Friday’s game that Hronek was still being evaluated and he couldn’t declare how long the 26-year-old would be sidelined.
The Athletic contributor Rick Dhaliwal reported the possibility of a separated shoulder.
The Canucks were remarkably fortunate with injuries last season. All seven of their top point producers suited up for at least 80 games. Carson Soucy was the only notable defender who missed an extended run of games on the blue line.
That luck has turned against them in a hurry as the Canucks have been challenged with several key absences in 2024-25.
Thatcher Demko has yet to make his season debut. Dakota Joshua missed the team’s first 14 games following an offseason testicular cancer diagnosis. Brock Boeser was recently out for seven games because of a concussion. J.T. Miller was banged up through training camp and preseason and didn’t appear to be at 100 percent health when he was in the lineup. He’s missed the last four games while on leave from the club for personal reasons and there’s no timeline for his return.
How will Hronek’s injury impact the Canucks?
Hronek’s loss is a massive blow for a Canucks blue line that was already struggling beyond the top pair. He has racked up 57 points in 102 games for Vancouver and most importantly, he’s been the perfect stylistic fit for Quinn Hughes, who has reached a new superstar, Norris Trophy-winning level since Hronek’s arrival.
Logging nearly 24 minutes per game, Hronek’s offensive IQ, puck skills and passing add nitrous to Hughes’ ability to dominate possession and drive offense. Hughes and Hronek are one of only four defense pairs in the NHL this season that are controlling more than 60 percent of the expected and actual goal share at five-on-five.
Who will play with Hughes?
With Hronek out of the lineup, the Canuck have Hughes and five blueliners performing at a bottom-pair level.
Erik Brännström can play the right side and would be the closest stylistic match to replacing Hronek’s mobility and offensive upside. But would Tocchet feel comfortable stacking two 5-foot-10 defenders on the same pair considering the monstrous workload Hughes will be taking on? Hughes defends at a high level despite his undersized frame, but Brännström’s own zone play is still a major question mark despite the promising start to his Canucks tenure. The bigger concern, however, might be whether the Canucks’ bottom four can afford to lose Brännström’s speed and puck-moving. Is it wise for the club to stack its only two capable puck movers together or does Vancouver need those two to drive their own pairs?
Tyler Myers could also be elevated to that top pair role. He’s mistake-prone and has struggled this year, but he unquestionably has the most experience eating big minutes. Vincent Desharnais and Noah Juulsen are candidates to get spot duty next to Hughes as well.
Frankly, none of these options are particularly appealing. The Canucks are either going to need to make an early trade like they did last season for Nikita Zadorov, or they’ll need Myers and Soucy to bounce back to last year’s level to stabilize the blue line.
Required reading
• Did Arturs Šilovs’ brutal performance cost the Canucks?
• Why the Vancouver Canucks’ new first line is dominating right now
• What I’m hearing about the Canucks’ roster crunch, trade options and call-ups
(Photo: Bob Frid / Imagn Images)
