Elliotte Friedman says Filip Hronek can be “out for a while.” He revealed the Filip Hronek injury on The Fan Hockey Show on Thursday.
Filip Hronek Injury Could Affect Canucls
The Vancouver Canucks have been trying to split their top pair of Hronek and Quinn Hughes since before the season started. This isn’t what they pictured.
Hronek’s injury happened very late in the Canucks 5-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins Friday night. He was checked into the boards by Jack St. Ivany as Vancouver tried to complete their comeback. Hronek was behind the Penguins net as they skated six-on-five, and St. Ivans pushed him there. It was a light shove, but Hronek fell awkwardly into the boards.
The team’s top-pair defenceman played 25:50 on the night with one assist.
What It Means
If Hronek does miss substantial time, it will be a heavy blow for Vancouver. In their previous game, top defenceman Quinn Hughes missed nearly the entire game after getting tossed out for boarding. The Canucks clamped down defensively after that and pulled out a 4-3 win against the Ottawa Senators, but that was one game.
It’s well known that Vancouver is looking to shore up their middle pair, and this loss only increases the pressure. They have been missing expected staple Derek Forbort due to personal absence and injury. Unfortunately, the duo of Tyler Myers and Carson Soucy haven’t lived up to last year’s standard. Their prospect pool is either unready or unqualified to play regular roles in the NHL just yet.
This makes for an awkward situation not just in the middle of their defence but in finding a pairing for Hughes. He has played with Myers earlier in his career, and for now, that might be the temporary solution. But with the team already on the edge of dropping out of a playoff spot, they can’t afford to lose Filip Hronek from the defence.
The Canucks will have major absences at every position, as they’re already missing Thatcher Demko in goal and JT Miller up front.
Main photo by: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
