Vancouver Canucks Re-Sign Filip Hronek to 8-Year Contract – Hockey Writers – Canucks Transactions

On June 18, the Vancouver Canucks got one of their key players locked up to a long-term deal. 26-year-old right-handed reliever Filip Hronek received an eight-year extension worth $58 million at an average annual value (AAV) of $7.25 million.

In his 2023-24 season in Vancouver, Hronek scored five goals and 43 assists for 48 points in 81 games. What makes him such a desirable asset to the Canucks?

Hronek Can Help Hughes Shine

One of the best things about the Canucks re-signing Hronek is the fact that his 1,237-minute defenseman at even strength, Quinn Hughes, stepped up his game in 2023-24. In his first full season in a Canucks uniform, Hronek was alongside Hughes in a season where the latter finished as the finalist for the Norris Trophy — almost certainly going to win it.

Getting Hughes to have a high-quality defensive partner like Hronek is a huge win. They were a big reason why the Canucks had their third 50-win season in franchise history—from top to bottom, the team was special. As long as the two are together, Vancouver should have one of the best defense pairings in the NHL.

Fits Vancouver

The contract makes Hronek the long-term solution for the Canucks to pair with Hughes, a good bet at just 8.2 percent of the cap hit ($88 million). As the league's cap space continues to rise, his deal should look better and better.

Hronek could give the Canucks some upside besides just being paired with Hughes. He was scoring points at the beginning of the season, but his production started to decline as the season went on. The 26-year-old is a nice offensive contributor with a blistering shot who could reach the 60-point mark soon, which would be great for Vancouver. If he can find some consistency on both ends of the ice, that should serve this contract year well.

Related: THW's 2024 Free Agency Tracker

The Canucks have free agents like Elias Lindholm, Nikita Zadorov, Tyler Myers, Sam Lafferty, and Dakota Joshua to sign this offseason—Hronek was just one of their priorities. With less than $18 million in cap space, some of their players will have to go—the next few weeks should be eventful in Vancouver.