Vancouver Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin announced on Tuesday that top defenseman Filip Hronek, believed to have suffered an upper-body injury, will undergo surgery on his lower body and will miss approximately eight weeks.
Allvin intriguingly added that Hronek would not be undergoing surgery on his upper body, which neither confirms nor denies an upper-body injury.
The official statement from the Canucks is as follows:
"General manager Patrik Allvin announced today that D Filip Hronek underwent a successful lower body procedure and will not require surgery on his upper body. Hronek will be out approximately eight weeks."
General Manager Patrik Allvin provides an update on Filip Hronek: pic.twitter.com/qKvHAeQnRO
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) December 3, 2024
Before suffering his injury, Hronek appeared in 21 games, scoring one goal, eight assists, and nine points. Hronek also posted a +14 plus-minus rating. The 27-year-old defenseman recorded an assist in 25:50 of ice time against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Nov. 27 before going down with an injury late in the game.
Hronek had three assists in his last five appearances, and his void in the lineup is currently being filled by a platoon of Tyler Myers, Noah Juulsen, and Vincent Desharnais. Fortunately for the Canucks, eight weeks from now would put Hronek on track to return to game action in early February. This would mean that the Canucks would get Hronek back ahead of the NHL trade deadline.
This is relevant, as the Canucks have been previously linked to Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson and other NHL teams have registered interest in young forward Nils Hoglander. The Canucks are open for business, but panicking is not on the table, especially now that there is clarity on Hronek's status.