Getty Filip Hronek of the Vancouver Canucks
The current version of the Vancouver Canucks is the best the franchise has put on the ice in more than a decade — and a deep postseason run is possible. It’s reasonable to assume everybody — from fans to staff and players — is thinking about this and only this year.
But that short-sighted approach ignores the possibility it might be a tough summer because, according to Irfan Gaffar, the Canucks’ Filip Hronek “rejected” Vancouver’s attempt to re-sign him.
The Canucks’ offered Hronek “probably in the $52 [million] to $54 million range” over eight years, Gaffar said, for an average annual salary of up to $6.75 million.
“I mean, the Canucks said they believed it was a fair offer for Filip Hronek. I’m not entirely sure that the agent or the player were all too pleased it or thought it was a fair offer from their point of view,” Gaffar said during an appearance on the March 13 episode of “Seekers & Price.” “The ask for Filip Hronek was always going to be in and around the $8 million range.”
Vancouver general manager Patrik Allvin had confirmed on the March 8 episode of Sportsnet 650’s “Canucks Central” that the team put on the offer on the table for Hronek.
When free agency opens July 1, Hronek will be the league’s top restricted free agent, according to SportsNet’s Luke Fox.
“Right-shot defenseman in his prime,” Fox wrote in a March 21 column.
Canucks Don’t Want Filip Hronek to Break the Salary Scale
Hronek has played all 72 games this season with the Canucks. He has scored 5 goals and assisted 40 for 45 points and a season-long average of 0.62 points per game. He’s also logged a quite bulky 1,339 time on ice on 5×5 play, ranking 11th on that particular leaderboard as one of the most reliable and used players across the NHL, per PuckPedia data.
As Fox pointed out in his article, the Canucks spent two high-price (a first- and a second-rounder) draft picks to acquire Hronek from the Detroit Red Wings on March 1, 2023. That, of course, might force Vancouver’s hand in paying the defenseman whatever amount he asks them for considering the hefty price they paid so recently to land him.
“We like Filip. He’s been a good fit for us,” Allvin told Dan Riccio and Sat Shah on “Canucks Central.” “We want to keep him. We have put a contract offer out to him, which we feel is fair, so hopefully, we can get a deal done with Filip to stay here in Vancouver.”
That offer, which Hronek rejected, according to Gaffar, would pay the defenseman $52 million over eight seasons for a $6.5 million AAV. That figure would have Hronek earning way less money than captain Quinn Hughes, whose $7.85 AAV is clearly above that rumored number.
“No doubt, Vancouver wants to keep Hronek’s AAV under that of captain Hughes ($7.85 million), but the defenceman will push to get his salary into the [$7-plus million],” Fox wrote.
Vancouver has Already Gone Through a Similar Situation
An interesting comparison to Hronek’s situation can be found in Vancouver, where fellow Canuck Elias Pettersson initially refused to ink an extension but ended up signing a maximum contract on March 2 worth $92.8 million over eight years.
Last summer, Pettersson opted for waiting instead of instantly signing an extension with the Canucks “to see where this team was heading,” in his own words as he told the story of his extension at the press conference announcing it.
“I was an RFA at the end of the (2024) season and I didn’t feel the rush to sign,” Pettersson told reporters. “Then more talks with Jim and Patrik, seeing the direction on the team, I always wanted to stay here but just seeing the commitment from them, we wanted to get it done.”
While not the exact same situation (Pettersson was still under contract through this season), both sides ended up agreeing to an extension eventually given the interest was coming from the player and the franchise.
“Certainly, there is some common ground to be found here,” Fox thinks. “Though Hronek does wield the leverage of arbitration and could walk to UFA after one more season.”
This feels like it will eventually get solved with Hronek lowering his demands and Vancouver possibly breaking the $7 million AAV barrier (or at least reaching it) to keep the Czech defenseman in tow for years to come.