{"id":540894,"date":"2026-03-16T21:08:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-16T21:08:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/540894\/"},"modified":"2026-03-16T21:08:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T21:08:08","slug":"is-the-idea-of-trading-filip-hronek-really-wasted-air-as-his-agent-suggests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/540894\/","title":{"rendered":"Is the idea of trading Filip Hronek really \u2018wasted air\u2019 as his agent suggests?"},"content":{"rendered":"

JPat\u2019s Monday Canucks Mailbag: Is the idea of trading Filip Hronek really \u2018wasted air\u2019 as his agent suggests?<\/p>\n

How about those five minutes against Nashville? For a few moments over the past week, the vibes were surprisingly high for the Vancouver Canucks<\/a>.\u00a0A late third-period surge against the Predators allowed the Canucks to reach\u00a0the 20-win mark on the season<\/a>.\u00a0That highlight, however, was sandwiched between a shutout loss to Ottawa and a stinker against Seattle. But that\u2019s all in the past now. The Canucks are looking forward to brighter days and visits from the two Florida-based teams<\/a> in the National Hockey League as the club\u2019s eight-game homestand continues. To help pass the time until the two-time defending champion Panthers come calling on Tuesday night, we present another edition of the CanucksArmy Monday mailbag, where we answer your burning questions. The mail was piling up this week and we thank you for your submissions. Let\u2019s get down to the business of answering some of your queries.Replying to @patersonjeff<\/a><\/p>\n

Would it make sense to trade Hronek for future assets and sign short UFA deals for veteran presence (like Schenn or Cole when they signed them). I know mgmt views Hronek as untouchable but won’t he be into negative value years of his deal when this team is set to compete.<\/p>\n

Despite the best efforts of Filip Hronek\u2019s agent Allan Walsh pouring ice cold water over any thoughts of the Canucks moving his client<\/a>, this market continues to insist on banging this drum. To hear Walsh tell it, any trade speculation around Hronek is \u2018wasted air.\u2019 Hronek\u2019s had an incredible season given the environment he\u2019s in and what\u2019s gone on around him. He really should be commended for how hard he\u2019s played and there\u2019s little doubt he\u2019s this season\u2019s team MVP. I think Hronek should remain to help pave the way for the next chapter of Canucks hockey. That said, when you saw the price being paid for right shot defencemen at the trade deadline, the Canucks may want to revisit the idea in a couple of seasons.<\/p>\n

And depending where the rebuild is at that point, perhaps Hronek will be ready to re-examine the situation, too. But in the short term, I think it makes sense for the 28-year-old to push his young teammates to compete as hard as he does on a nightly basis. The likes of Zeev Buium, Tom Willander, Elias Pettersson, and Victor Mancini could all learn plenty from Hronek over the next couple of seasons. By the time a few of them are ready to lead and be part of the next core here, maybe then there will be an opportunity to gauge the trade market for a minute-munching, hard-nosed right shot D and I\u2019d imagine Hronek would still carry remarkable value at that point. I don\u2019t always agree with Allan Walsh, but on this one, I think the notion of dealing Hronek this summer is wasted air. And I think the hockey club feels the same way.<\/p>\n

Did you see the goal he scored on Saturday night<\/a>? Honestly, that was a pretty scoring play. And to his credit, Evander Kane has six goals in his last 20 games, which on this team, is second only to Brock Boeser\u2019s seven over that span. I understand the odds are remarkably slim that Kane will be back here next season, but I also firmly believe he deserves to get into his 1000th game here shortly. After that, it will be interesting to see the club\u2019s approach to handling the veteran winger. Now, it should be noted this doesn\u2019t have to be a Kane vs H\u00f6glander thing. H\u00f6glander sat out Thursday and the Canucks won, so Adam Foote came back with the same line-up for Saturday against Seattle.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s not pretend that it has been anything but a woeful season for H\u00f6glander. He has one goal and three points in 25 games. Foote said Sunday that he has to be mindful of H\u00f6glander not sitting out for a long stretch here. But unless his play picks up, he\u2019s going to be a candidate to sit out again over the final month of the season. Max Sasson may have to sit a game or two. Curtis Douglas probably doesn\u2019t have to play every game down the stretch. But with 13 healthy forwards \u2014 and possibly more if the Canucks call anyone up from Abbotsford \u2014 someone is going to have to be parked in the press box. I do wonder if Kane gets that treatment once he reaches the 1,000-game milestone.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s move this discussion beyond Nils H\u00f6glander for the time being. Tom Willander played a career-high 23:04 on Thursday against Nashville. That is giving a young player plenty of opportunity. Zeev Buium logged 22:59 on Saturday against the Kraken. That is giving a young player plenty of opportunity. Liam \u00d6hgren is been firmly planted on the second line for the past week and is starting to see more and more penalty killing duty. That is giving a young player plenty of opportunity.<\/p>\n

Nikita Tolopilo just started the past two games ahead of Kevin Lankinen. The Canucks are running with four defencemen under the age of 24 right now. Aatu R\u00e4ty has dressed for the last five games since the team moved out David K\u00e4mpf. So, really, outside of H\u00f6glander, the young players are playing as they should. I think there have been plenty of reasons to question Adam Foote\u2019s deployment over the course of the season, but I actually think he\u2019s doing his best to play the young players in a variety of situations right now.<\/p>\n

The obvious answer is around 8:30pm PT on Thursday April 16th when the final buzzer sounds on Game 82 in Edmonton. But there are a few markers to pass before then. The Canucks still haven\u2019t been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention yet, although that will likely occur in the next week to 10 days. The Canucks can still attain a maximum of 80 points.<\/p>\n

That number will drop with each loss the team suffers. Meanwhile, the teams in the playoff chase are now hovering around 70 points and climbing. So you can see that gap closing perhaps daylight will turn to darkness for the Canucks by this time next week. Remarkably, though, it will be longer than that before the Canucks lock down last place in the overall standings. As tough as this season has been, that last spot in the standings \u2014 and accordingly the best draft lottery odds \u2014 may not be finalized until some time in early April. However, I draw your attention to the fact the Canucks have a massive March 28th game against the Flames in Calgary and that could speed the process.<\/p>\n

In a word, no. If this season has taught us anything, it\u2019s that people will still watch this hockey club. And if the Canucks wind up with Ivar Stenberg, they\u2019ll be getting an incredible prospect that has just finished a remarkable season in the Swedish Hockey League. He\u2019ll instantly become the best prospect this organization has had since prior to the pandemic and he\u2019ll be a massive part of the rebuild. That said, I\u2019m on Team McKenna simply because I don\u2019t think you can discount the hype that has built up around this player for years now. If the Canucks win the lottery, I think they\u2019ll take McKenna. But that\u2019s simply a hunch at this point still more than three months from the draft. And, of course, if (when?) they don\u2019t win the lottery, this could very well be a moot point, and the decision may be taken out of their hands entirely.<\/p>\n

Replying to @patersonjeff<\/a><\/p>\n

Question: how bad is the Pacific when the division leading Vegas team has 31 wins and 36 losses. What a travesty<\/p>\n

The Pacific is not a good division this year. It\u2019s as simple as that. Vegas has been kept afloat by its 14 loser points. When you have some idle time, look at the Golden Knights game by game results and see how they\u2019ve fared against really good teams this season. Spoiler alert, they haven\u2019t done very well. Anaheim\u2019s point total is artificially inflated by an 8-0 record in shootouts. The Ducks lead the division yet they have a -10 goal differential. Anaheim and Edmonton are both bottom five in the league in goals against. All three of those teams are in the bottom five in terms of 5-on-5 save percentage in the league. All are covered in defensive warts and have questions about how their playoff goaltending will stack up. While somebody is winning the division in the regular season, the same may not hold true come playoff time. All three of these teams could easily be knocked off by a lesser opponent. It\u2019s just the way this season has gone in the league\u2019s weakest division by far.<\/p>\n

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