Filip Hronek may have played his last game for the Vancouver Canucks this season, according to coach Rick Tocchet.
Tocchet says Hronek may not play again the rest of the year “I want him to get his shoulder stronger.” #Canucks
— Farhan Lalji (@FarhanLaljiTSN) March 31, 2023
Filip Hronek Sits Out Season
Hronek was brought to Vancouver in a trade that surprised many when it happened. There was some outrage that the pick that was acquired in Bo Horvat‘s deal was so quickly spent on yet another mid-20s player. Brief hopes of a total rebuild were dashed, so some of the outrage was self-inflicted rather than caused by the team. Still, what’s a fan base without mood swings?
That he wouldn’t be able to play for the team right away raised red flags for fans, too. The Canucks track record with injuries hasn’t been great, and there are several players who have missed substantial time. Trades for players with injury histories haunt the team, and Hronek’s injury was of the “he can play through it” variety.
This case is more likely in line with Ilya Mikheyev rather than Tucker Poolman, however. Mikheyev played through an early-season injury after he was reassured that it wouldn’t get worse. Once the playoffs were reasonably out of reach, he sat out the remainder of the season.
Future Present Absent
According to Tocchet, Filip Hronek was in the lineup so the coach could see him play. That he did, averaging just over 24 minutes a night for his four games. He got two shots through on net and picked up a single assist for the Canucks. Beyond his boxcar stats, it’s tough to tell how he did with the team. He played at least ten minutes with four different pairings, so the sample size is essentially zero.
By the eye test, he did just fine, injured shoulder or no. He was certainly trustworthy out there and is clearly a top-four option next year. Who that will be with remains a mystery, but an off-season of rest won’t hurt his chances.
Main Photo: Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports
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