Hronek rejoins Vancouver Canucks and he's way ahead of schedule
Vancouver Canucks defenceman Filip Hronek’s injury recovery has gone much faster than originally predicted.
The team announced today the blueliner has rejoined them in Winnipeg ahead of tomorrow night’s game against the Jets. The original timeline provided by the team back on December 3 suggested Hronek would remain out until at least the end of January.
Hronek underwent surgery for a lower-body injury and also had an upper-body injury, although that one did not need an operation. He now looks to be on the edge of returning to action.
The Canucks have clearly been missing Hronek during his absence. The team’s defence corps, already a weakness when everyone is healthy, has been exposed over the past few weeks. The team lacks secondary puck-movers and the Czechia-born player’s return will be much appreciated in that sense.
Before getting hurt, Hronek had nine points and was +14 in just 21 games. His point total ranks third among Canucks defencemen despite the fact he’s played roughly half the games this year. He helps provide a lot of stability on the team’s backend and greatly elevates the defence group as a whole.
General Manager Patrik Allvin announced today that D Filip Hronek has rejoined the team in Winnipeg.
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) January 13, 2025
The club sent Erik Brannstrom down to the AHL yesterday to help make room ahead of Hronek’s return. Every other team will have a chance to put a claim in ahead of today’s deadline at 11 am PT.
Hronek has been stapled to Quinn Hughes as the two have formed an excellent defence pairing since the start of last season. However, with the team struggling to generate offence with their other blueliners on the ice, there’s a chance the club may look more seriously at separating their two offensive generators.
The Canucks face off against the Jets tomorrow night before flying back to Vancouver for a crucial three-game homestand which features contests against division rivals Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings.