Hronek injured?
Who the F knows.
This in house medias interview by a single in house media person are so scripted information is ignored and spoon fed.
So if he is injured then Soucy becomes the #2, or is it Myers, Deharnais, Juulsen or Brannstrom?
Hronek looked like it could be a broken collar bone or separated shoulder either results in a long time off. The Canucks are hanging on to a possible WC2 spot by a point or two.
The cap restricts what who the team can go after.
They may rotate many AHL guys up through the back end but where is the top guy?
Jiricek trade rumors are out there and Columbus/eastern media do say he is a top 2 dman already but can't break the CLB lineup, he isn't as good a Weeger yet, not as big or nasty as Gudbranson or Severson and they just got a more experienced Fabbro. For them there is no cap restriction that might force them to play a lower paid salary on to the team so Jiricek wallows behind.
But for the Canucks he is almost perfect. He is bloodied in the NHL already, has good size and does hit, good first pass and very good skating/positional play, Right handed and larger at 6'3" 200+lbs.
His cap hit fits with what the Canucks have available now without going into LTIR and his potential is a top pairing dman.
My thoughts are Willander should be a trade asset. He will not be able to help the Canucks for a couple of more years and will still be behind a veterans and Hronek. If has never played in any professional games anywhere.
He is a fit for CLB because it will be 3 or 4 years before a top 4 dman spot opens up if he can play.
If the Canucks do finish in a PO spot then their 1rst rnd draft pick will be 16 to 32 so that could make it another asset.
Throw in Deharnais, Juulsen or Freidman and they might bite.
Any player the Canucks add in might be worth it although the reportig about EP in the AHL have been promising but he would be replacing Deharnais or Forbort.
But what is good for the future and right now might not be what Tocchet wants.
I am sure he would want a veteran top 4 RHD dman with size and term, something the team just doesn't have.
If Hronek does have a more severe injury and they sit and try to wait it out so they have more cap space for a rental at the TDL, they may not even be there then because the schedule gets hard from now on with teams really ramping it up that have more desperation, asset depth and cap space competing for a WC spot. There are 6 teams within 4 points of WC2 in the western conference.