Player Discussion Filip Hronek - Pt. 2

[HairyKneel]

Who’s paying for this exorbitant cap jump over the next 5 years? It sure as hell isn’t the tv deals. Just keep jamming the public up for more money every year? It’s a gate driven league. The economy is in the shittter, interest rates got jacked up too quickly. Inflation is up the ass.

As for Hronek: Stay in the ballpark of the Devon Toews deal. Within a couple or three hundred grand annually. Toews is a more well rounded player. If he doesn’t like it, he’s got great trade value. Then you get a couple kids or picks and spend the money on anther player with the savings. He’s a good player but he’s not going to write his own ticket.

I like the pairing and they do tilt the ice. I do worry though the playoffs is a different beast and having a 175 pound guy and a 195 pound guy playing 26 min a night against gorillas with the rules loosened up may not go so well for them. Let’s see how it goes.

If necessary they will get a good haul if he wants something starting with an 8 annually. Let’s see how he does in big boy games.

 

[credulous]

reportedly rejected 6.5x8. kinda glad. i don't mind going higher on the dollar amount but 8 years is a long time to commit to someone who has only really played at that level for a year and a half who still has a lot of open questions about his game

 

[Regress2TheMeme]

Unless management can turn around and bring in another top pairing RHD I would grit my teeth and pay up for Hronek. He's just coming into his prime. The cap is going to go up. Hughes is the identity of this team and Hronek supports what Hughes does better than anyone else ever has. I don't want to waste years searching for the next Hronek over 500k.

 

[valkynax]

Negotiation far from over, and playoff is on the horizon, I'm not hugely concerned.

 

[Just A Bit Outside]

Trade him if he wants $7.5M/yr or more.

Get a Top 6 forward back or a Top 4 d.

Sign dad to play with Hughes.

 

[Cancuks]

They won't pay him more than Hughes and rightfully so. I'd rather sign him for 3 years than 8. I'm not sure his health will hold up past 30.

 

[lawrence]

reportedly rejected 6.5x8. kinda glad. i don't mind going higher on the dollar amount but 8 years is a long time to commit to someone who has only really played at that level for a year and a half who still has a lot of open questions about his game

I hope we're not taking Matt Price and Sekeres seriously....

like cmon canucks fans. We can't be this stupid! Pettersson rejects a 12 million dollar offer just so he can sign a contract worth 3.2 million less?

I do agree though. We need to do what we did during the Gillis era give or take. Which was nombody gets a higher contract then the Sedins / best players.

For the defence, clearly nobody should be getting more than Quinn Hughes, and I agree with that.

and rightfully so, ownership starts low, player starts higher, if he's asking for 8, lol, but, still i'm not surprised if Hroneks camp is playing tough, this is how negotiating works, and I'm launghing at some dead beat writers now trying to gain attention by suckering us in, first it was Petey signing now they want to click bait with Hronek news.

As for the can he anchor his own pairing, to be fair, he was never really given chance to do so. the best idea is Souchy, but he's often with someone else and he's anchored his own line for a while in Detroit. the other times he will play Ian Cole. Anyways, I think he's extremely important to our team. hope to get things done quickly. I do want to see if he can anchor is own line.

 

[PuckMunchkin]

I hope we're not taking Matt Price and Sekeres seriously....

like cmon canucks fans. We can't be this stupid! Pettersson rejects a 12 million dollar offer just so he can sign a contract worth 3.2 million less?

Because it wasnt about maximising his earnings.

 

[canuckking1]

Hronek is definitely a #2

 

[Grantham]

Does anyone else have a love/hate relationship with his game? There are parts of it that are so beautifully and powerfully executed. There are sometimes stretches of games he doesn't put a skate wrong.

But then more often whats happening lately, he really loses his bearings in scramble plays and cycles. Also he'll just randomly give up a pizza that ends up in a goal against.

I don't think he can properly carry his own pairing, at least not to the level required by a contender. I think he is below players like Toews and Sergechev, but his agent is trying to get that payday.

I know Toch has tried him here and there away from Hughes, but he doesn't end up accomplishing anything, and then he has to put them back together.

 

[F A N]

Unless management can turn around and bring in another top pairing RHD I would grit my teeth and pay up for Hronek. He's just coming into his prime. The cap is going to go up. Hughes is the identity of this team and Hronek supports what Hughes does better than anyone else ever has. I don't want to waste years searching for the next Hronek over 500k.

That's the issue isn't it? What if it isn't $500K? Where do you draw the line?

There is a certain point where you don't want the player and there is a risk of decline. It becomes harder to trade the player when the player is millions overpaid rather than just a million.

 

[theguardianII]

There is a certain point where you don't want the player and there is a risk of decline. It becomes harder to trade the player when the player is millions overpaid rather than just a million.

Yes the Canucks know that otherwise Garland and Boeser would have been traded last year.
The team even paid a hugely steep price to move OEL, I still don't understand WHY they didn't offer him up with 50% retention AND a later pick or prospect.
3.6 mil for 3 years rather than an escalating payment for twice as long. Just didn't make business or even hockey sense.

For ONE year of improvement?

 

[rypper]

Yes the Canucks know that otherwise Garland and Boeser would have been traded last year.
The team even paid a hugely steep price to move OEL, I still don't understand WHY they didn't offer him up with 50% retention AND a later pick or prospect.
3.6 mil for 3 years rather than an escalating payment for twice as long. Just didn't make business or even hockey sense.

For ONE year of improvement?

NMC.

 

[sandwichbird2023]

Who’s paying for this exorbitant cap jump over the next 5 years? It sure as hell isn’t the tv deals. Just keep jamming the public up for more money every year? It’s a gate driven league. The economy is in the shittter, interest rates got jacked up too quickly. Inflation is up the ass.

As for Hronek: Stay in the ballpark of the Devon Toews deal. Within a couple or three hundred grand annually. Toews is a more well rounded player. If he doesn’t like it, he’s got great trade value. Then you get a couple kids or picks and spend the money on anther player with the savings. He’s a good player but he’s not going to write his own ticket.

I like the pairing and they do tilt the ice. I do worry though the playoffs is a different beast and having a 175 pound guy and a 195 pound guy playing 26 min a night against gorillas with the rules loosened up may not go so well for them. Let’s see how it goes.

If necessary they will get a good haul if he wants something starting with an 8 annually. Let’s see how he does in big boy games.

I'm not sure about that anymore. If it becomes public info that Hronek is looking for a contract starting at $8m per, I think his trade value would crater. If a team as desperate for RHD as we are, are willing to deal him away, that is a huge red flag for the other organizations. Plus the only teams interested in him are either contenders or bubble teams, most simply don't have the cap space. Even though RHD are one of the most valuable asset, I'm not sure we will be able to get good or even fair value in this situation.

At best I think we get back what we paid, a mid to low 1st round pick + a little extra (maybe a 2nd rounder, or a B prospect).

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

he better be on the ice after every single practice practicing hitting the net with gonchar

i also would like to see the top pair split up. hronek needs to spend some time holding down his own pair so he isn’t always deferring to hughes and waiting there on the blueline waiting for a perfect pass. he ability is there but because of situation he’s lost the initiative to create for himself.

 

[theguardianII]

he better be on the ice after every single practice practicing hitting the net with gonchar

i also would like to see the top pair split up. hronek needs to spend some time holding down his own pair so he isn’t always deferring to hughes and waiting there on the blueline waiting for a perfect pass. he ability is there but because of situation he’s lost the initiative to create for himself.

A point to be considered, Hughes is holding the puck so much on the PP why have the team's best stick handlers out there at the same time, there's only one puck.

 

[Misko]

Does anyone else have a love/hate relationship with his game? There are parts of it that are so beautifully and powerfully executed. There are sometimes stretches of games he doesn't put a skate wrong.

But then more often whats happening lately, he really loses his bearings in scramble plays and cycles. Also he'll just randomly give up a pizza that ends up in a goal against.

I don't think he can properly carry his own pairing, at least not to the level required by a contender. I think he is below players like Toews and Sergechev, but his agent is trying to get that payday.

I know Toch has tried him here and there away from Hughes, but he doesn't end up accomplishing anything, and then he has to put them back together.

I would agree with this. I feel like Hronek has great offensive talent and I actually think he's quite good at defending the rush, which is an important skill in today's fast, rush-heavy game. But he definitely struggles with broken up plays and seems to get overloaded during sustained pressure at times. It's not always a problem, he has good moments and stretches, but I think he struggles in this area often enough to point it out.

That said, Hronek is, at the very least, a very good complimentary player to a true #1 like Hughes. I see a lot of people wanting him to be able to carry his own pair, but I don't think that's entirely necessary. I think keeping him as Hughes' permanent partner is perfectly fine as long as they remain effective and dangerous. Toews and Makar is probably a fair comparison in terms of dynamic; the two of them have been a pair since 2020 and have basically never been broken up outside of injury to one of them. Now, obviously, Toews is overall a better player, especially defensively, but I don't think there's anything wrong with Hronek being Hughes' partner and having that be his primary job as long as he is paid accordingly.

Considering how Hughes not having a good D partner has been one of this teams biggest problems since Tanev's departure, I'd pay Hronek at least $6.5M even if it's just to be Hughes' partner as long as he can be expected to produce 40+ pts, defend well, and most importantly improve Hughes' play. I know some might just say "Well, just find a cheaper partner for Hughes, or sign Tanev", but you can't just find the perfect partner with good chemistry for Hughes just like that, let alone a RHD who can produce at Hronek's level. It leads me towards being in favour of trying to find a way to sign him rather than think of flipping or trading him.

The way this team is structured, I don't think the Canucks can think of paying Hronek more than Hughes' 7.85M, and in my opinion it wouldn't make a lot of sense to pay him more than a better player like Toews who gets 7.25M. Whether or not Hronek would sign for 7.25M or less is yet to be seen. He is and RFA, not a UFA, which might have to be utilized by management if it comes down to it.

 

[StreetHawk]

I would agree with this. I feel like Hronek has great offensive talent and I actually think he's quite good at defending the rush, which is an important skill in today's fast, rush-heavy game. But he definitely struggles with broken up plays and seems to get overloaded during sustained pressure at times. It's not always a problem, he has good moments and stretches, but I think he struggles in this area often enough to point it out.

That said, Hronek is, at the very least, a very good complimentary player to a true #1 like Hughes. I see a lot of people wanting him to be able to carry his own pair, but I don't think that's entirely necessary. I think keeping him as Hughes' permanent partner is perfectly fine as long as they remain effective and dangerous. Toews and Makar is probably a fair comparison in terms of dynamic; the two of them have been a pair since 2020 and have basically never been broken up outside of injury to one of them. Now, obviously, Toews is overall a better player, especially defensively, but I don't think there's anything wrong with Hronek being Hughes' partner and having that be his primary job as long as he is paid accordingly.

Considering how Hughes not having a good D partner has been one of this teams biggest problems since Tanev's departure, I'd pay Hronek at least $6.5M even if it's just to be Hughes' partner as long as he can be expected to produce 40+ pts, defend well, and most importantly improve Hughes' play. I know some might just say "Well, just find a cheaper partner for Hughes, or sign Tanev", but you can't just find the perfect partner with good chemistry for Hughes just like that, let alone a RHD who can produce at Hronek's level. It leads me towards being in favour of trying to find a way to sign him rather than think of flipping or trading him.

The way this team is structured, I don't think the Canucks can think of paying Hronek more than Hughes' 7.85M, and in my opinion it wouldn't make a lot of sense to pay him more than a better player like Toews who gets 7.25M. Whether or not Hronek would sign for 7.25M or less is yet to be seen. He is and RFA, not a UFA, which might have to be utilized by management if it comes down to it.

Hronek for the kind of money it sounds like his agent is asking for, would need to be able to carrying his own pair. HC can always pair him back with Quinn, but if the rest of the D Core needs them split in order to be a better team then he'd have to do it. The higher your cap hit, the more that is going to be expected from you.

 

[mriswith]

We haven't struggled to find a partner for Hughes, we've simply struggled to find top 4 dmen in general. We hadn't had a legit top 4 dman prior to Hronek since Tanev.

Hughes can play with anyone (other than Myers) and make them look exceptional. He made some people think Schenn was a top 4 dman instead of waiver bait. I don't place any extra monetary value on Hronek being able to play with Hughes, any legitimate top 4 dman who can play the right side will look like a top pairing dman paired with Hughes and it's pretty clear that Hronek isn't stylistically the ideal partner for Hughes.

Hronek also hasn't looked great when separated from Hughes. Some of that is a small sample size, some of that is because there isn't much quality for him to play with and some of it is because he simply is not the player he looked like the first two months of the season when we were outscoring the other team 2:1 and had a 1.1 PDO.

It'll be interesting to see the new contract. Mgmt hasn't missed yet on aav.

 

[LemonSauceD]

Such a confusing player.

There are nights he plays like a true top pairing defenseman. Then there are nights where you question whether you seriously want to commit a long term contract to him. He’s an excellent transitional defenseman and can also make long stretch, tape to tape passes aside from his occasional braindead Hail Mary attempts. Surprisingly at 6’0 188lbs, I think physically he’s very good and is able to box out defenders and is one of our better crease clearers. Hronek also eats a ton of minutes, is used in tougher minutes and match ups more than any other Canuck, and he has relatively solid possession numbers although largely inflated with Hughes vs without.

Defensively, he’s a wild card. He struggles against bigger attackers, he’s got poor gap control, chases the play much too often which results in him being lured out of position, makes far too many mistakes with systems plays in his own end, and gets stripped off the puck too many times under pressure because he tends to lag with his decision making (this is apparent when he’s away with Hughes).

He is very similar to Pionk/Schultz imo. I’d have no doubt if both those guys played alongside Hughes they’d have similar point totals to Hronek’s.

Between $6.0M-$6.8M id be more than fine with keeping him. I just don’t think you can justify signing him to anything beyond $7.3M. He’s not a true top pair defenseman. A decent #3.

And yes, there’s a significant difference between a #2 and a #3 vs a #3 and a #4.

 

[sting101]

We haven't struggled to find a partner for Hughes, we've simply struggled to find top 4 dmen in general. We hadn't had a legit top 4 dman prior to Hronek since Tanev.

Hughes can play with anyone (other than Myers) and make them look exceptional. He made some people think Schenn was a top 4 dman instead of waiver bait. I don't place any extra monetary value on Hronek being able to play with Hughes, any legitimate top 4 dman who can play the right side will look like a top pairing dman paired with Hughes and it's pretty clear that Hronek isn't stylistically the ideal partner for Hughes.

Hronek also hasn't looked great when separated from Hughes. Some of that is a small sample size, some of that is because there isn't much quality for him to play with and some of it is because he simply is not the player he looked like the first two months of the season when we were outscoring the other team 2:1 and had a 1.1 PDO.

It'll be interesting to see the new contract. Mgmt hasn't missed yet on aav.

Good post agree with almost all of this. In fairness some of the play away from Hughes has been in spurts and would be difficult to just pick up and play with someone who he hasn't had time to build chemistry and timing with.

Hronek has been an excellent addition. Like most players he can be a bit streaky. I'm very much in the group that would prefer 5yrs vs 8

 

[Killer Orcas]

Whatever Hronek is one thing that needs to be considered is chemistry. He obviously has it with Hughes. Hughes has played his best with Hronek and finding a partner especially a RHD is not easy as we all know. Hopefully Hronek likes it here and we can get him signed to slightly under what he'd get in free agency. 7x7 sounds good to me but if it was another 250k or so more I'd do it. You can save a few bucks on the bottom pair but your not getting top pairing talent without paying the cost these days.

 

[StreetHawk]

If the reports end up correct that Hanifin gets 8x$7 mill per I think I don’t peg Hronek really above that.

 

[Hodgy]

If the reports end up correct that Hanifin gets 8x$7 mill per I think I don’t peg Hronek really above that.

That's a fair deal, and of course Hanifin's deal buys 8 UFA years.

But keep in mind that Nevada has zero personal income tax, so we are going to need to pay Hronek more to reflect that.

 

[F A N]

Who’s paying for this exorbitant cap jump over the next 5 years? It sure as hell isn’t the tv deals. Just keep jamming the public up for more money every year? It’s a gate driven league. The economy is in the shittter, interest rates got jacked up too quickly. Inflation is up the ass.

I don't really follow the business of hockey but there has been a significant jump in revenue. It all works together of course. The new TV deal in the US, increased viewership, Seattle expansion, licensing deals. Licensing deals are a big one. Wouldn't surprise me if you see more advertisement patches on jerseys.