The Vancouver Canucks have been without a captain since the departure of Quinn Hughes back in December. And according to reports, it appears there is a frontrunner for the next Canucks captain.

On Thursday, Donnie and Dhali’s Rick Dhaliwal reported that he has heard that defenceman Filip Hronek will be named the next captain of the Canucks.

“I’ve been hearing he’s going to be the new captain. He’s a strong, strong candidate to be the new captain,” Dhaliwal said.

Hronek was originally selected by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2016 entry draft. On March 1, 2023, the Czech defenceman was traded to Vancouver along with a fourth-round pick in exchange for the first-round pick acquired in the Bo Horvat trade and a second-round pick. Currently in his third full season with the Canucks, the 28-year-old has 15 goals and 114 points in 203 games. He finished second on the team in time on ice per game the last two seasons behind Hughes. And in the former captain’s absence, he leads the team by a wide margin, averaging 24:26 per night.

On the season, Hronek’s five goals and 32 points sit second on the team, trailing only Elias Pettersson by two points. This past month, Hronek has been a key part of Czechia’s group at the Winter Olympic hockey tournament in Milan. Making his Olympic Games debut, he registered five assists in five games played, averaging over 25 minutes per game on the team’s top defensive pairing.

Currently, the Canucks have Hronek, Brock Boeser, Tyler Myers, and forward Elias Pettersson rotating as assistant captains night in and night out. If he were to be named Captain, Hronek would be the 16th captain in Canucks history. Hughes was named team captain ahead of the 2023-24 season, becoming the 15th in franchise history. His two-and-a-half-year tenure was the shortest since Roberto Luongo’s two-year stint from 2008-2010.