Honestly being good for half the season (not always the start) was exactly how he was in Detroit. I always really liked Hronek and was sad when we moved him, but I wouldn't want him on my top pair if I'm looking to contend. He always has defensive lapses, but you can ignore them when he's scoring. Most years he goes 20+ games on a cold streak at some point. During those patches, it's pretty rough having him on the first pairing.
Throw him on the second pairing with someone super reliable. His rough patches are a lot less rough if he's not against top competition. With the cap going up, and how productive he is, he's arguably worth 8 mil AAV.