Detroit Red Wings trade Filip Hronek; more moves seem probable

The Detroit Red Wings elected to sell high regarding defenseman Filip Hronek.

General manager Steve Yzerman had been waiting to see what took place Monday and Tuesday in Ottawa before deciding to become sellers ahead of Friday’s 3 pm Est. NHL trade deadline. After being outscored 12-3 and flat-out bullied on the ice in two games that mattered if Detroit hoped to continue their wild card push, Yzerman, like most of us, saw enough and has begun to re-tool Detroit’s roster.

The Detroit Red Wings sent Filip Hronek and a fourth-round draft selection to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for a conditional 2023 first-round pick (New York Islanders) and a second-round pick in 2023. Vancouver secured that first-round selection in the deal that sent Bo Horvat to New York. The condition on the first-round pick is this; if the New York Islanders fail to make the playoffs this season, the selection moves to 2024. I get the sense that Yzerman wants to load up on draft capital to potentially flip some of it in a blockbuster deal ahead of the NHL Draft.

Detroit Red Wings trade Filip Hronek.

Hronek, 25, is having an excellent season (aside from the last two games in Ottawa). He had settled in nice on Detroit’s second pairing behind Moritz Seider on the right side. Hronek excelled offensively this season paired with the steady presence of Olli Maatta but had most recently been paired with Ben Chiarot with the emergence of Jake Walman moving up to play with Seider on the left side, in turn sliding everyone down a slot.

Hronek has one year left on his current deal after this season and carries a cap hit of $4.4 million. At the end of the term, Hronek will still be a restricted free agent, which gives the Canucks some leverage.

Over 60 games this season, Hronek has totaled nine goals and 38 points while skating to a plus-8 rating and averaging well over 21 minutes of ice time per night. The point total ties his career-high set last season. Hronek did leave Tuesday night’s game with an upper-body injury. Detroit Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde mentioned post-game that it wasn’t a new injury but something he had been trying to play through, which also may explain his poor play of late.

Yzerman has had a busy day, and things will likely remain this way right up until 3 pm Est on Friday. The Detroit Red Wings signed captain Dylan Larkin to an eight-year extension earlier today. Also, with the Red Wings open for business on the trade front, keep your eye on Tyler Bertuzzi, Jakub Vrana, and Filip Zadina as possible trade chips.