On Wednesday morning, Vancouver Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin announced that injured defenseman Filip Hronek, currently on long-term injured reserve, has been assigned to the AHL Abbotsford Canucks on a conditioning assignment.
Hronek, 27, last played for the Canucks on Nov. 27 against the Pittsburgh Penguins, recording an assist in 25:50 of ice time before suffering an apparent upper-body injury. The Czech rearguard did not immediately undergo surgery and traveled with the team before being sent back to Vancouver for further evaluation.
General Manager Patrik Allvin announced today that D Filip Hronek has been assigned to Abbotsford (AHL) for conditioning.
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) January 8, 2025
Subsequently, Hronek was ruled out for approximately eight weeks on Dec. 3 and had undergone an operation to address a lower-body injury. Hronek is currently in Week 5 of the original eight-week timeline provided by the Canucks, so Hronek is seemingly well ahead of schedule in his recovery.
The Hronek injury update certainly comes at a good time for the Canucks, who recently lost forward Dakota Joshua and goalie Thatcher Demko to new injuries at a crucial time in their season. Canucks captain Quinn Hughes just returned from a two-week hiatus, while center Elias Pettersson is a game-time decision for Wednesday's game against the Washington Capitals.
Adding further importance to Hronek's impending return to the Canucks is the fact that Vancouver has just two wins in its last nine games, surrendering a whopping 33 total goals in those games.
When Filip Hronek can return to NHL action for the Canucks
As is the rule, the Canucks will keep Hronek on LTIR for the duration of the conditioning assignment, and he will not count against the salary cap or occupy a roster spot.
However, LTIR conditioning loans only permit a player to be on loan for a total of six days or three games, after which the Canucks would be required to activate Hronek from LTIR, provided he has not suffered any further injury.
AHL Abbotsford will play back-to-back games against the Henderson Silver Knights on Jan. 10 and Jan. 11, respectively, and will have another back-to-back against the Ontario Reign on Jan. 14 and Jan. 15.
This will provide Hronek with the opportunity to appear in three AHL games before returning to the Canucks at the NHL level.