Filip Hronek's injury is a major blow to the Canucks partnership Quinn Hughes (Source: IMAGN)
The Vancouver Canucks lack depth on defense, and their need to trade for a top player has been evident in the first two months of the season. If not a necessity, this need has become more urgent after their top blue-line defenseman, Filip Hronek, suffered an upper-body injury from a hit during the Canucks' 4-5 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday, with no clear timeline for his return.
The Canucks will miss his partnership alongside Quinn Hughes. The pair had been one of only four defensive setups in the NHL to control more than 60% of goal share. Hronek himself was averaging over 24 minutes on the ice.
With his unfortunate sidelining, Rick Tocchet's team might be scouring the market. However, as per insider Elliotte Friedman on Sportsnet's Saturday headlines:
“Vancouver’s down defencemen. They’ve also struggled a bit defensively. They’re out there. They have one of the most aggressive front offices in the league. Everybody knows it. Jim Rutherford, Patrik Allvin, they’re not afraid to do anything, but they have made it clear ‘we’re not going to do something just because other people think we're desperate.’”
