Hronek signs, but Canucks won’t sign all their free agents: GM Allvin

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And like that, the Vancouver Canucks have secured their top defence pairing.

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After weeks of speculation about the future of defenceman Filip Hronek, the Czech blueliner’s future is secure.

The NHL team announced Tuesday afternoon that they’d agreed to an eight-year, $58 million contract with Hronek.

“Filip has fit in seamlessly on our blue-line, giving us stability and strength on the right side,” Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin said in a statement supplied by the team. “His ability to skate, defend and create offence is exactly what you want from a top pairing defenceman. This season he has shown all of us his desire to compete and a willingness to be a leader on this hockey team. We look forward to seeing him continue to help elevate our group and for him to grow both on and off the ice.”

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Hronek’s agent, Allan Walsh, took to X to congratulate his client on the signing.

“He loved the team, the guys and the city so much, he decided to stay awhile,” Walsh tweeted. He added a smiley-face emoji.

Hronek’s camp is certainly smiling and Allvin is pleased to have the 26-year-old defenceman under contract until 2032, but the GM also had to admit that locking the defenceman in at this price point also locks in a reality that was long obvious from the outside: there are some unrestricted free agents who finished the season on the roster who won’t be back for another season.

“It definitely appears to us here that we’re not going to be able to sign all of them,” Allvin said.

Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reported that $21 million of the $58 million to be paid out over the term of the contract will be in signing bonuses, though intriguingly, the only season he won’t receive a signing bonus will be the 2026-27 season, which many observers believe could see another lockout of the players by the owners; the current collective bargaining agreement between the players and the league expires ahead of that season.

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Hronek was set to be a restricted free agent July 1, assuming the Canucks had tendered him a qualifying offer. He’d have had rights to ask for salary arbitration, where it was expected he’d earn a big raise. Arbitration awards, though, are for only one or two years, so the Canucks look to have secured the crafty defenceman on a very good-value deal.

Hronek’s average annual value is lower than than that of team captain Quinn Hughes. You assume the Canucks would have wanted to keep Hughes as the team’s highest-paid defenceman.

The 26-year-old Hronek played in 81 games with the Canucks this season, scoring 48 points, a career best. The Canucks added him at the 2023 NHL trade deadline from the Detroit Red Wings; he only suited up for four games with Vancouver in 2022-23 because of a shoulder injury sustained in his last game with Detroit.

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Hronek was a solid partner for Hughes, using his quick hands and feet to evade forecheckers and help Hughes lead smooth breakouts.

A late-season elbow injury limited his offensive effectiveness down the stretch and in the playoffs — he managed just a goal and an assist in 13 playoff games — but he was still leaned on heavily, playing the second-most minutes on the team, just behind Hughes.

Hronek has played in 390 career regular season games split between Vancouver and Detroit, recording 205 points and 200 penalty minutes.

Hronek was originally selected by the Red Wings 53rd overall in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.

Allvin is speaking with the media at 4 p.m. on Tuesday.

More to come …

pjohnston@postmedia.com

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