The exchange
The Canucks get: Defenseman Filip Hronek, fourth-round pick in 2023
The Red Wings get: 2023 conditional first-round pick (from the Islanders), 2023 second-round pick
Shayna Goldman: Dear Patrik Allvin, maybe don’t pick up the phone the next time Steve Yzerman calls? Or do, because we could all use a laugh once in a while.
While a lot of things are perplexing for Vancouver, it looks like they have something of a vision: younger defensemen in their mid-20s. There’s nothing wrong with Hronek; he is having a very good season, especially before finding himself alongside Ben Chiarot. And the Canucks TO DO need capable defensemen, that was clear even before the puck dropped this season.
But there’s a ceiling aspect to this trade that doesn’t make sense for the Canucks. As things stand, they face the cap for next season which gives them little flexibility – unless there is another decision to follow. Although Hronek is not a hire and has a reasonable cap of $4.4 million that he is playing above right now, his strong season opens the door for a raise that this team shouldn’t be so willing to take. distribute – or may not even be able to give.
What doesn’t make sense either? The return! A first and a second! In a deep draft! It’s not that the Canucks shouldn’t flip those picks. Given that they have their own firsts over the next three years, the Islanders’ removal from selection isn’t a deciding factor. It’s just that it should be for a player who deserves such a high return – in this case, that first plus second round unbalances the trade too much.
From a Red Wings perspective, Yzerman sold high on a player and the Canucks bit. He came out with a great comeback, and now the question turns to what comes next. Do these draft picks become trade capital to replace Hronek on defense? Even if that’s not the plan, this deal alone is a win.
Canadians: D
Red wings: A
Sean Kind: I should start by saying that I love Hronek as a player. I think he is good. It does a lot of things well – and, hey, that’s the fun thing. He’s racking up points, and he’s hitting people, and he’s doing everything on the right side. I’m not worried that he has a career year, and I’m not worried that his production has dropped recently. He plays next to Chiarot. You will have part of it.
Adding him to a blue line immediately improves him, especially if you have hardly any right-handed defenders, as is the case in Vancouver. That way it makes sense. The Canucks defense stank this morning, and now it stinks less.
That’s the only way it makes sense, though; the Canucks are always bad. They will still be bad. Hronek, while good, isn’t enough to make them good – not in any meaningful sense, and not for the price they paid.
Think of it this way; they just took the main asset they got from the Islanders for Bo Horvat (who will likely be an unprotected first-rounder in 2024), added their own second-round pick to the pile and traded him for a 25-year-old , second-pair guy who has one more season at a $4.4 million AAV before arbitration eligibility.
It’s a move you make when you’re close, not 27th in the league. It would be shocking if that weren’t so typical for the Canucks. They are not going to rebuild. Never. Not on purpose, at least. They’ve already paid the price, and they’re about to do it again. Whatever upgrades Hronek makes, they won’t be enough to justify the price. Sure, they needed a D forehand. They need a lot more, though. Too much to add via commerce, in fact.
As for the Red Wings? There seems to be an impulse among a certain sect of Red Wings fans to treat Steve Yzerman’s moves as obvious acts of genius, even when there’s evidence to the contrary. Not all trades are smart or part of a grand plan. That said… this one is smart. And it certainly seems like part of a grand plan. The Red Wings had a great time last month, then fell far enough in the standings to warrant the change. They will be better off for it, whether in the short or long term.
Canadians: D+
Red wings: A
(Photo: Derek Cain/Icon Sportswire)