The Vancouver Canucks have signed defenseman Filip Hronek to a most eight-year contract extension, shares the group. The deal will carry an annual cap hit of $7.25M, for a complete worth of $58M.
This deal will carry Hronek, 26, by way of his age-34 season in 2031-32. The deal featured signing bonuses in all however one 12 months, costing the Canucks as a lot as $4M yearly, per Frank Seravalli of the Each day Faceoff.
Seravalli additionally shares that Hronek will carry a full no-move clause from 2025-28 — suggesting the primary 12 months of the deal can be clause-free — and a partial no-move clause from 2028-32.
The Canucks care for a serious piece of enterprise with this extension, locking up the primary defenseman able to maintaining with Quinn Hughes. The pair spent practically each second of their even-strength ice time collectively — and to good impact, with Hronek posting 48 factors in 81 video games, each career-highs. I
t was an extremely profitable begin to Hronek’s profession in Vancouver, constructing properly on his pair of 38-point seasons to finish his time with the Detroit Purple Wings.
Hronek’s robust scoring slowed down considerably within the postseason — the primary look within the Stanley Cup Playoffs of his six-year profession. He totaled simply two factors throughout 13 video games, although he did his greatest to curb the low-scoring with a lofty 25 hits and 15 blocks, respectively rating second and fourth amongst Vancouver’s blue-line.
The Canucks don’t appear bothered by Hronek’s meager postseason, now solidifying his spot subsequent to Hughes for the foreseeable future.
With this extension, the Canucks are all the way down to $16.83M in projected cap house with 10 pending free brokers. Headlining the record is now ahead Elias Lindholm, who Vancouver acquired in trade for high prospect Hunter Brzustewicz, depth ahead Joni Jurmo and two draft picks earlier this season.
Lindholm posted simply 12 factors in 26 video games with the Canucks, by no means discovering an ideal match within the group’s lineup. He’s been rumored to be asking for a hefty extension for fairly a while — one thing that could be tough for Vancouver to abdomen with lower than $17M to spend.
Lindholm is joined atop Vancouver’s record of pending free brokers by defenseman Nikita Zadorov — Vancouver’s different commerce acquisition from the Flames this 12 months. Zadorov got here into his personal with the Canucks, recording 14 factors and 102 penalty minutes throughout 54 video games with the group — matching his scoring tempo from his 21-point season final 12 months.
Zadorov has expressed a really robust curiosity in returning to Vancouver, although restricted cap house might make {that a} problem. After all, Vancouver can be helped alongside by the ceiling Hronek’s deal units, giving them a greater gauge of what worth they may hand out to Zadorov.
Nonetheless, the Canucks will seemingly focus their spending way more on solidifying depth items, with late-season breakouts Dakota Joshua and Arturs Silovs each up for brand new offers as nicely. Joshua grew to become a core piece of Vancouver’s lineup late into the 12 months, totaling eight factors and a team-leading 75 hits in 13 postseason video games.
His declare as Vancouver’s playoff workhorse is just challenged by Silovs, who recorded 5 wins and a .898 save proportion in 10 playoff appearances — filling in for Thatcher Demko following an premature damage.
After weeks of hypothesis, the Canucks have now made their first huge step of the offseason — putting their precedence on rounding out their protection reasonably than their top-six forwards or goaltending duo. With a stake now planted, the Canucks can start to show their free agent consideration in direction of the open market, the place they’ve already been linked to star winger Jake Guentzel.
Guentzel posted 77 factors throughout 67 video games this season, including 9 factors in 11 postseason video games. He may very well be a incredible substitute for Lindholm, ought to the Canucks get priced out of the latter’s negotiations.
