Canucks may reportedly trade Filip Hronek if contract not signed by draft

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Cooper Godin
June 14, 2024 (10:26)

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Vancouver Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin has plenty of work to do if he wants to re-sign Filip Hronek. But could a trade be possible if they can't come to an agreement?

On Tuesday's edition of Canucks Central on Sportsnet radio, Satiar Shah said that there's a "really good chance" that Patrik Allvin trades Filip Hronek at the draft later this month if both sides are unable to come to an agreement on a contract.

"I'm not going to be as forceful as saying he's guaranteed to be traded by the draft if he doesn't sign, but I'd say there's a really good chance that a trade happens at the draft if he doesn't sign an extension," Satiar Shah said on Canucks Central on Tuesday.

This would obviously be a worse case scenario for both sides, given how effective Filip Hronek was during his first full season with the Canucks playing alongside captain Quinn Hughes. Hronek was arguably a top-ten defenceman in terms of production in the first half of the 2023-24 season, but then saw a drop off in the second half.

The Hradec Kralove, Czechia native set new career highs in assists and points this season with the Vancouver Canucks, but as mentioned, wasn't as strong in the second half and production-wise, wasn't great in the Stanley Cup Playoffs putting up two points in 13 games. In 81 regular season games, Hronek had 48 points (five goals, 43 assists), 38 penalty minutes and was a plus-33.

If the Canucks are unable to re-sign Filip Hronek, they'll need to ensure in a trade that they get someone who's able to slot right into their top-four and play big minutes. Another option would be to go out into the free agent market to sign someone like Brady Skjei or Brandon Montour, if either become UFAs on July 1st.