After trading defenseman Filip Hronek to the Vancouver Canucks, the Detroit Red Wings have some decisions to make when it comes to a replacement. Luckily, they have multiple avenues to go down, whether an immediate fix or a fix later in the off-season.
Options in the Detroit Red Wings system
This is the easiest option, in my eye. You have two very talented prospects waiting in the wings with Albert Johansson and Simon Edvinsson.
Either one will suffice for a Hronek replacement. With both, you gain size. Johansson at a measly 6 foot while Edvinsson towers over at 6-foot-6. Both can still bring the offense that Hronek has given so far this season, maybe not at Hronek’s level of offense, but still bringing positive aspects to all three zones.
Both would slot in perfectly for that second pairing, but the obvious choice here is Edvinsson. He’s the higher-ranked prospect, a higher draft pick, and has the potential to be Moritz Seider 2.0. But, with Steve Yzerman and Co. in the front office, it wouldn’t surprise me to see Johansson get the call first because Edvinsson still needs seasoning in the AHL.
Potential Detroit Red Wings trade targets
This route is more of a fever dream than anything, but it’s still fun to dream. With the last few days being as chaotic as they have been in the NHL, anything can happen in these next few days leading up to the deadline on Friday. Yzerman has loaded up on picks over the past two or three years, and this could be his time to pounce.
Carson Soucy is a defender to keep an eye on as he is being shopped around by Seattle. He could be a perfect role filler for now as the Detroit Red Wings try to look for a long-term replacement or are waiting for the young kids to develop in the A. Looking past that, if we don’t see a trade now, we could still see one over the off-season for a young defender that could fill Hronek’s spot.
I love the idea of Zach Werenski or Ivan Provorov, as both players look to be on the wrong timeline for their respective teams. Werenski is a better fit, being from the Michigan area and playing for the University of Michigan, and is good friends with Dylan Larkin. Either way, Yzerman has a lot of assets at his fingertips to utilize.
Potential free agent targets this summer.
This is the most probable outcome but the least exciting. I could see Yzerman replacing Hronek by looking at two, maybe even three, defensemen to regain what he has lost. He could swing big for the Anaheim defender in John Klingberg, but I see our trusted GM going after guys like Vladislav Gabrikov or Ryan Graves.
Guys, that won’t bring much to the offense side of the game but stoppers. A guy like Olli Maata has been this year. Yzerman wants the young guys to grow in the minors and use these big defensive guys as the stopgap.
I think we can see multiple different facets of these plans. We could see a combination of the prospects, trades, and free agents all be sorted into this team, trying to fill the hole that Hronek has left. I think the team has players that can fill the role now and even grow into something better than what Hronek is/was.