Filip Hronek | #17 | RD

[Jess]

[gerg]

is this jeremy's cousin?

[Dr. Crossbar]

Happy Hronek, everyone!

[Huggy Bear]

35 minutes ago, Dr. Crossbar said:

Happy Hronek, everyone!

Happy Hronek!

[Jess]

So far I've been absolutely thrilled with how good Hronek has looked. I was worried he'd disappoint, but he's been amazing so far in the pre-season. Really looks like a bonafide top 4 guy and even the fringe top pairing guy he was in Detroit.

[Ralph.]

1 hour ago, -AJ- said:

So far I've been absolutely thrilled with how good Hronek has looked. I was worried he'd disappoint, but he's been amazing so far in the pre-season. Really looks like a bonafide top 4 guy and even the fringe top pairing guy he was in Detroit.

Excellent to read this. I haven't had much of a chance to watch any preseason and how Hronek performs with a full offseason and time with the team has been a big point of curiosity, personally. Obviously there's significant responsibility on his shoulders in order for the team to succeed.

[Jess]

12 minutes ago, Ralph. said:

Excellent to read this. I haven't had much of a chance to watch any preseason and how Hronek performs with a full offseason and time with the team has been a big point of curiosity, personally. Obviously there's significant responsibility on his shoulders in order for the team to succeed.

 

For sure. He had a bad giveaway at the start of the game yesterday and seems prone to the occasional bit blunder, but largely, he's an excellent player. I would compare him a bit to a young Alex Edler, circa 2012.

[thesauce]

6 hours ago, -AJ- said:

So far I've been absolutely thrilled with how good Hronek has looked. I was worried he'd disappoint, but he's been amazing so far in the pre-season. Really looks like a bonafide top 4 guy and even the fringe top pairing guy he was in Detroit.

 

I agree. I held my breath because of our luck. I really like the new look he's given to our blueline.  

[thesauce]

I want to see a Hughes - Hronek pairing over the run of a couple of preseason games just to know what it would look like for better or for worse. 

[BlockerHigh]

8 hours ago, -AJ- said:

So far I've been absolutely thrilled with how good Hronek has looked. I was worried he'd disappoint, but he's been amazing so far in the pre-season. Really looks like a bonafide top 4 guy and even the fringe top pairing guy he was in Detroit.

Agreed...I've even seen him step into scrums a few times and he's not doing it for show, he went in to make sure if something started he was there. Good to see. I hope fans aren't expecting 50 pts however. He's not going to get much PP time unless we go to 2D on the point....I feel a bit for him that way, he's in a contract year and won't get the chance to really get paid the way he may deserve because of Quinn....Better for us, but hopefully that doesn't build bad blood with him. I don't want to see him low balled because of a lack of points next year....

[Alflives]

8 hours ago, -AJ- said:

So far I've been absolutely thrilled with how good Hronek has looked. I was worried he'd disappoint, but he's been amazing so far in the pre-season. Really looks like a bonafide top 4 guy and even the fringe top pairing guy he was in Detroit.

Yup. Hronek is a brilliant player. He was a steal. 

[Mrwipeout]

 

 

[Analyst82]

I thought he had a decent game last night! Made sounds defensive decisions and we didn't hear his name too much (which I feel is good as a D) 

[4petesake]

[SISMIM]

Seems to be flying a bit under the radar, at least for me (especially with Hughes having such a monster start to his season), but amazing to see Hronek sitting tied for 11th in NHL defenceman scoring (8 points), same total as McAvoy, and just a point behind Dahlin and Makar.

 

Hronek currently on pace to obliterate his previous points totals, more than double his best season for assists, and finish with 73 points in 82 games.

 

And, looking at some of his analytics, he’s pacing for an eye-popping 5 WAR/30 GAR by the end of the season.

 

I think he’s bound to slow down a bit. Those numbers would be just insane, if maintained over a full season. But if Hughes keeps playing like the 2024 Norris favourite, and Hronek stays paired with him, it’s hard to say how much of a drop-off there will actually be.

 

Which is all so very exciting. 
 

Right now, we have two #1 Ds, at least based on their on-paper numbers and advanced stats. Both playing nearly 25 minutes per game, Hronek pacing for over 70 points, Quinn on pace for 100, both on pace for around 5 WAR (maybe even more for Hughes).

 

By the fancy stats, it would be impossible to overpay either of these guys. At the current rate of play this season, they each provide more on-ice value than the league maximum salary.

 

Which makes it so amazing to have Hughes locked up at $7.85M until 2027.

 

But also makes Hronek’s next contract even more scary to think about. If he manages to maintain this pace, or anything close to it, he’s in line for a massive payday.

I only hope that they’ll be able to use Quinn’s current AAV as a sort of internal cap on Dman salaries. Although that might be overly optimistic, if Hronek actually ends up with 60-70 points this season, combined with the quality of his overall play and underlying numbers.

 

[Jess]

35 minutes ago, SISMIM said:

Seems to be flying a bit under the radar, at least for me (especially with Hughes having such a monster start to his season), but amazing to see Hronek sitting tied for 11th in NHL defenceman scoring (8 points), same total as McAvoy, and just a point behind Dahlin and Makar.

 

Hronek currently on pace to obliterate his previous points totals, more than double his best season for assists, and finish with 73 points in 82 games.

 

And, looking at some of his analytics, he’s pacing for an eye-popping 5 WAR/30 GAR by the end of the season.

 

I think he’s bound to slow down a bit. Those numbers would be just insane, if maintained over a full season. But if Hughes keeps playing like the 2024 Norris favourite, and Hronek stays paired with him, it’s hard to say how much of a drop-off there will actually be.

 

Which is all so very exciting. 
 

Right now, we have two #1 Ds, at least based on their on-paper numbers and advanced stats. Both playing nearly 25 minutes per game, Hronek pacing for over 70 points, Quinn on pace for 100, both on pace for around 5 WAR (maybe even more for Hughes).

 

By the fancy stats, it would be impossible to overpay either of these guys. At the current rate of play this season, they each provide more on-ice value than the league maximum salary.

 

Which makes it so amazing to have Hughes locked up at $7.85M until 2027.

 

But also makes Hronek’s next contract even more scary to think about. If he manages to maintain this pace, or anything close to it, he’s in line for a massive payday.

I only hope that they’ll be able to use Quinn’s current AAV as a sort of internal cap on Dman salaries. Although that might be overly optimistic, if Hronek actually ends up with 60-70 points this season, combined with the quality of his overall play and underlying numbers.

 

 

Hronek was probably a mid-to-low end #2 last year, but for flashes, showed the ability to being a #1 guy. It seems crazy that he could destroy the 50-point pace he had last year, but honestly, if he's playing with Hughes, I struggle to see him getting less than 60 points. If he starts spending more time on a different pairing, 50 points is more reasonable again.

[Rip The Mesh]

Really glad he's being noticed even if it is simply his B-Day.  Part of a main cog wheel for the Nuckaroos making the post season? Me thinks so!!!!

 

 

[Jess]

Found my original reaction to the Hronek trade:

 

  

On 3/1/2023 at 4:40 PM, -AJ- said:

I really do like Hronek a lot, but I'm still unsure if this matches our window. Hronek is quite young and is a RHD, so he could be an amazing partner for Hughes, especially if he continues to be great as he enters his late 20s.

 

The jury is out on this one. Losing picks sucks a bunch, but Hronek is a very very good acquisition. Time will tell if it works out.

 

I mostly agree with myself from back then, but I think I had a more reasonable response a few months later in the "Who is actually happy with the Hronek trade?" thread. Hronek actually perfectly matches the window of our current core, as I realized in this second post:

 

On 5/16/2023 at 9:44 AM, -AJ- said:

Far too early to pass judgement IMO, but it really depends on if you think we can win with our current core or not. If you think we can't, the best choice is to trade Petey, Hughes, Demko, etc, and start over and get picks for this year. If you think our core guys can win, then it's probably more reasonable to get a guy like Hronek than an 18 year old that probably won't be in his prime for another 6 or 7 years.

 

[Coryberg]

I'm thinking this comparable is pretty bang on. Very good dman who puts up a fair amount of points, munching minutes in all situations while playing with an elite dman. If Hronek continues to play the way he has I have zero issues with matching this contract....

[Jess]

4 minutes ago, Coryberg said:

I'm thinking this comparable is pretty bang on. Very good dman who puts up a fair amount of points, munching minutes in all situations while playing with an elite dman. If Hronek continues to play the way he has I have zero issues with matching this contract....

 

Toews is probably considerably better than Hronek, but he also took an insanely cheap deal on this contract. He's easily worth $9M. That said, Hronek's deal might be similar to Toews'--it just likely won't be as much of a steal.

[Coryberg]

12 hours ago, -AJ- said:

 

Toews is probably considerably better than Hronek, but he also took an insanely cheap deal on this contract. He's easily worth $9M. That said, Hronek's deal might be similar to Toews'--it just likely won't be as much of a steal.

I agree that toews is the better player... however seeing as Hronek is 4 years younger (7 years takes toews to 37, Hronek to 33) his contract would probably balance the steal-o-meter.

Edited November 5, 2023 by Coryberg

[Jess]

30 minutes ago, Coryberg said:

I agree that toews is the better player... however seeing as Hronek is 4 years younger (7 years takes toews to 37, Hronek to 33) his contract would probably balance the steal-o-meter.

 

Good considerations. Not sure it's enough to balance it, but the age is definitely relevant.

[Rindiculous]

Hronek is currently sitting 3rd in defensemen scoring this year and only one point behind Hedman

[SISMIM]

4 hours ago, Rindiculous said:

Hronek is currently sitting 3rd in defensemen scoring this year and only one point behind Hedman

Yup. And quietly on pace for 89 points and +82. 

 

25th in scoring (all skaters)

3rd in Dmen scoring

4th in assists (all skaters)

2nd in Dmen assists (behind only Hughes)

3rd in +/- (all skaters and Dmen)

 

23:57 TOI/G (leads all Canucks and 25th highest in NHL); used in all situations (including 44th highest PKTOI in the league); zone starts at all strengths: 49 offensive, 50 neutral, 49 defensive; on pace for around 30 GAR and 5 WAR over 82 games.

 

Hronek is a #1D.

He’s just playing behind (and beside) an absolute phenom in Quinn Hughes (who’s arguably been the best and most impactful player in the entire NHL so far this season).

 

It’s been such an amazing run so far. I still can’t quite believe it’s entirely sustainable, but then again, that’s what I said back when Hronek had 8 points in 9 games, and then he went out and added another 5 points in his next 3 games. 

[DownUndaCanuck]

We've got a real Makar - Toews pairing on our hands right now and you can see how they got so strong last year. Hronek could easily run a pairing by himself but together, they're dynamite. 

 

My worry here is...what is he going to re-sign for? Surely having the captain at 7M means no one can dare ask for more on defence? I wonder if we can cut him down to 6-6.5M but realistically he deserves a cold hard 7M for what he's done so far.

 

Quinn is IMO hands-down the best player in the world right now the way Makar was not long ago so to have someone like that tied up so cheaply, it really sets the tone for the rest of the team (cough Leafs cough).