While we’re all hoping for a Canucks win tonight and for the team to keep rolling, the team that is getting healthy still has its fair share of drawbacks. But, so many players have stepped up and played an awesome game so far this season, stemming the overall pain at least for now.
One of those players was defenseman Filip Hronek, whose play this season has been outrageous when you look at the total package. Scoff all you want at Hronek’s lack of points this season, nine so far in 21 games.
But before landing on long-term injured reserve, Hronek was having himself one sensational season. He’s got a plus-14 rating, which still leads the team. He was physical as ever and through the 21 games played this season, Hronek also logged a block per game.
That said, you may think he was a ‘do-it-all’ defenseman until an upper-body injury struck. No, his points total wasn’t great, but his advanced numbers told a different tale.
Canucks must up Filip Hronek’s ice time once he’s back and acclimated
While it’ll be a minute before Hronek is back in action, he’s been more than valuable to this Canucks team. Overall, his Corsi For sits at an amazing 56.7 at even strength, and he was on the ice for 28 goals in that same situation.
Hronek’s on-ice shooting percentage was 13.1, and to make matters even better, the Canucks were, overall, a better team defensively when he was on the ice. This is evidenced by an on-ice save percentage of 92.3 with just 14 goals allowed.
Yeah, so while the Canucks are slowly but surely getting healthier, it won’t be until sometime in the new year once Hronek is ready to roll again that they will truly be 100 percent. And this is assuming nobody else sustains a long-term injury in the interim.
While Quinn Hughes is and will be the Canucks best defenseman for a long time, Hronek is the clear-cut second-best on this team. It’s a shame to see someone who was having a career season in categories other than points land on LTIR, but if the Canucks can keep playing good hockey until he’s back, Hronek will be an added bonus.
So, let’s keep rooting hard not only for the Canucks, but for Hronek to make it back onto the ice as soon as he’s able. And that a couple more minutes of ice time, ideally in the 25-minute range, is what he’ll ultimately work up to.