i don't think they do well in a trade simply because anyone acquiring him is gonna know they're facing a tough negotiation and he's got that arb to free agency out if he wants it. maybe if they can find a team that has a really good winger to deal?
i also think signing him long term is questionable because hughes and hronek are both undersized and along with the canucks top prospect being another dman lacking size in willander that puts them in a potential bind down the road. other than pettersson no dmen in their system really project as physical. mynio, kudryavtsev and even johansson and mcward are all 6'1 or less
I hope that Allvin/Rutherford aren't married to him because they traded for him. There's only one puck and Hronek isn't doing fantastic without playing with Hughes.
Put it towards getting Brett Pesce, Tanev and re-sign Zadorav and Myers. I mean I wish we keep Hronek but if he wants to break the bank I say move on from him. Pivot to someone like Pesce who will cost less and bring back Tanev as well.
Safety in numbers. Signing those guys increases skill and experience depth. Myers has proven himself now that he doesn't have to play outside his comfort zone. A comfort zone that is right up there with other 3/4 dmen.
If adding Myers and Zadorov's contracts together and reallocating those funds between them probably keeps both here. Hronek's value can be used for younger large forwards too
Either way, bringing this back around to Hronek. I'd try to keep him for anything that isn't outright silly. 8M is that hard cut off for me. I'd still explore trading him at that price but it's only if he wants above it that we move on.
Something to keep an eye on is whether Hanifin signs with Vegas. If he doesn't, I'd go hard after him and basically flex the contract at Hronek.
I think the entire new structure of the defence makes Hronek redundant. Size matters. Hanafin would be nice but there are other dmen out there as well, maybe less expensive this team could absorb a younger LARGE human back there for less money
Willander is an average sized dman. Competence should trump size or physicality anyway.
Average sized defense man? 6'1" is not the average sized dman in the NHL, it isn't even the average sized player.
The average sized player is over 6'1"
The average sized defenceman over 6'2"
But the biggest teams are on average all the playoff teams the smaller teams if they make the real season don't go far or win cups.
This is seen by how many teams are signing and playing giants on defence, DEFENCE does not always mean scoring but stopping a goal is just as important.
A point, many can complain about a low scoring dman coughing up the puck all the time but miss that he is getting the puck all the time, winning board battles, checking players off the puck. A dump out can be taught and if Carolina the primary exit is a puck off the boards or glass.
