Vancouver Canucks sign defenceman Filip Hronek to 8-year extension

The first domino of the Vancouver Canucks’ offseason has fallen, and what many believed to be an unlikely one at that. Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin announced Tuesday afternoon that the club has signed defenceman Filip Hronek to an 8-year, $7.25M contract extension.

The Canucks acquired Filip Hronek from the Detroit Red Wings on March 1st last season in exchange for a 2023 conditional first-round pick and a 2023 second-round pick. The first-round pick the Canucks traded was acquired in the Bo Horvat trade from the New York Islanders. Vancouver also acquired former first-round pick Anthony Beauvillier and prospect Aatu Räty in the trade.

 

In Hronek’s first full season with Vancouver, he played 81 games — only missing the regular season finale for rest — and scored five goals and 48 points. Hronek finished second on the team with an impressive +33 rating, and finished third among all Canucks defencemen in hits and blocks.

“Filip has fit in seamlessly on our blueline, giving us stability and strength on the right side,” said Allvin. “His ability to skate, defend and create offence is exactly what you want from a top pairing defenceman. This season he has shown all of us his desire to compete and a willingness to be a leader on this hockey team. We look forward to seeing him continue to help elevate our group and for him to grow both on and off the ice.”

Hronek was one-half of one of the best defensive pairings in the National Hockey League this season, playing alongside Quinn Hughes. They ranked among the top three in all of the important defensive analytics and had the highest accumulative point total of any pairing. While Hughes produced 92 points on his own, the young captain gave a huge credit to Hronek as part of his personal success and the teams.

These two will be locked in on a pairing for at least the next three seasons. With his 8-year, $58M extension, Hronek earns himself a full no-movement clause for the first four seasons (2024-2028) and a 15-team no-trade clause (2028-2032) for the remaining four. The 26-year-old defencemen will now be tied to the organization until he’s 34 years old, aligning nicely with the Canucks developing core.