Filip Hronek

[SirloinUB]

So I feel like Hronek is a polarizing player. He isnt great on the PP with just 6 points. At even strength he puts up decent counting stats and has consistently average a 0.5 points per game which is solid. However, the guy gets dominated in terms of +/- and other analytics such as xGf%, xGa%, etc.

He is signed to a manageable 3 year 4.4 aav contract with 2 years remaining. He is averaging 22 atoi per game down from 23+ the last two years. But the question remains: Is he or can he become a legit top 4 d on a cup contender? I don't want to say there is no room for improvement here but with 230 games played and age 25, he has to be close to his ceiling at this point...

Anecdotally, he seems to hold limited value on the Trade discussion board. I recognize that's not a true indicator of a player's value however it does speak to the broad perceptions of his game and on ice contributions.


What does everyone think of the player? Does he fit in long-term? if not, what kind of value can we really get for the guy on the trade market?

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[TheOtherOne]

It's hard to say. It's kind of crazy how admirably he carried the entire defense by himself when we all knew he was in way over his head (was that last year? I can't keep track of time). But it seems since then he hasn't developed and maybe regressed. Maybe after another long offseason he'll figure out how to get back on track? He's 24. Not exactly old, especially for a D.

 

[The Red Line]

He kind of is what he is. He's been asked to play higher up in the lineup than he should based on his skillset. It has been a rough year and his deficiencies have been exposed. Ideally he is a 4/5 defender on a good team, and I'm fine with that.

As far as what to do with him?? Nothing at all. The Wings can't afford to lose any NHL level dman, even if his play leaves something to be desired.

 

[SirloinUB]

He kind of is what he is. He's been asked to play higher up in the lineup than he should based on his skillset. It has been a rough year and his deficiencies have been exposed. Ideally he is a 4/5 defender on a good team, and I'm fine with that.

As far as what to do with him?? Nothing at all. The Wings can't afford to lose any NHL level dman, even if his play leaves something to be desired.

I get what you're saying about not being able to afford to lose any dman but is 4.4 good value for a #5?

 

[SoupGuru]

He can't hide in this lineup. His flaws are there for all to see and can't be compensated for very well right now.

I think he's useful with the right partner. He and DDK paired well together, I thought.

But right now, his defense is terrible and his offensive numbers look OK at first glance but I'll ask the question I've been asking of him the last couple of seasons: what offensive traits are responsible for Hronek's point total? It's mystifying, really.

For most defenders with good offensive stats, they've got a calling card: point shot, passer, vision, keeping the zone, break outs, jumping into the rush, etc etc. I can't think of a single thing I'd say for Hronek.

I guess he just finds the next open guy pretty well to keep o-zone pressure?

 

[SirloinUB]

He can't hide in this lineup. His flaws are there for all to see and can't be compensated for very well right now.

I think he's useful with the right partner. He and DDK paired well together, I thought.

But right now, his defense is terrible and his offensive numbers look OK at first glance but I'll ask the question I've been asking of him the last couple of seasons: what offensive traits are responsible for Hronek's point total? It's mystifying, really.

For most defenders with good offensive stats, they've got a calling card: point shot, passer, vision, keeping the zone, break outs, jumping into the rush, etc etc. I can't think of a single thing I'd say for Hronek.

I guess he just finds the next open guy pretty well to keep o-zone pressure?

Good offensive IQ? Id agree that he doesnt have any real stand out skills. Which is probably why he will always leave us wanting more.

 

[jaster]

But the question remains: Is he or can he become a legit top 4 d on a cup contender? I don't want to say there is no room for improvement her but at with 230 games played and age 25, he has to be close to his ceiling at this point...

There's not a good argument that shows he hasn't been bad defensively. He has. But you also can't argue that he hasn't been overused and put in a position that is above his pay-grade, so to speak.

I very much disagree he's done developing though. He's 24 (not 25) and is still a baby in terms of defensemen. His peak is still a few years away.

Despite a recent debate on this in another thread, I can't fault anyone who doesn't believe in him, moving forward. But I will continue to contend that on a good team, with the right D corps and the right partner, Hronek can be a good #4 type. His faults will never go away completely, but they'll likely become minimized, and his puck-moving ability will further shine with better players around him. Impossible to prove, but that's where I stand.

I don't know if he's in the Wings future plans, or even if he should be, but for now he's still a significant part of what the Wings are trying to do, and if they trade him we should be getting a key piece back. Otherwise, you definitely hold on to him and see how he fits in during the following seasons.

 

[Frk It]

There's not a good argument that shows he hasn't been bad defensively. He has. But you also can't argue that he hasn't been overused and put in a position that is above his pay-grade, so to speak.

I very much disagree he's done developing though. He's 24 (not 25) and is still a baby in terms of defensemen. His peak is still a few years away.

Despite a recent debate on this in another thread, I can't fault anyone who doesn't believe in him, moving forward. But I will continue to contend that on a good team, with the right D corps and the right partner, Hronek can be a good #4 type. His faults will never go away completely, but they'll likely become minimized, and his puck-moving ability will further shine with better players around him. Impossible to prove, but that's where I stand.

I don't know if he's in the Wings future plans, or even if he should be, but for now he's still a significant part of what the Wings are trying to do, and if they trade him we should be getting a key piece back. Otherwise, you definitely hold on to him and see how he fits in during the following seasons.

Basically this.

 

[Frk It]

Good offensive IQ? Id agree that he doesnt have any real stand out skills. Which is probably why he will always leave us wanting more.

Puck handling and passing. Before the addition of Walman, it was pretty clear Hronek and Seider were the best handlers of the puck we had by a good gap.

 

[marcaractac]

I think Hronek becomes a decent trade candidate beyond this season. He'd be a nice option for another team at one of the next two TDLs. Especially at 50% salary retention. Based on what GMs have been paying this season for mere rentals, Hronek should fetch a nice return.

 

[Rzombo4 prez]

He is kind of the epitome of what is wrong with this team. He is our second best defensemen, but is really a 4-5 guy. He has been asked to play far too high up the lineup his entire NHL career and without appropriate help. I could easily see a situation where he has a net positive impact on the game, but that will require acquiring better defensemen and slotting him more realistically. You can't throw a $25k claimer into graded stakes company and expect great results. You need to run and spot them more appropriately.

I am not opposed to moving him in the right deal, but don't feel we need to move him to make the team better right now. Truth be told, any deal that does not return a better NHL defensemen would probably actually make our team worse given the free agent market. We are better off trying to add defensemen who are better than Hronek than simply kicking him to the curb for futures because he isn't a big, stay-at-home defensemen.

If I had to predict, I think he will probably age his way off of the roster and perhaps get delt heading into unrestricted free agency. Trading defensemen off of this roster is not exactly trading from a position of strength.

 

[jaster]

Puck handling and passing. Before the addition of Walman, it was pretty clear Hronek and Seider were the best handlers of the puck we had by a good gap.

Seriously. I don't understand the plethora of comments over the past couple seasons where people essentially say, "I don't know how he puts up the points he does, it's baffling." What? Again, Hronek has his flaws, and he's gotten extra opportunity, but his puck-moving ability is pretty dang good overall. You don't get the points he does simply from getting extra TOI. You still have to be competent. His steadiness with the puck on his stick both when the team is transitioning and when we have possession in the O zone is clearly underrated around here. As long as he has an opening on the breakout, the kid can transition the puck. And he can cycle. With so many PMDs in Detroit recently who just implode in the transition game because they have a really low panic threshold, or bobble hand grenades in the O zone, Hronek has held good value in that regard.

Will be interested in continuing to watch Walman. I wonder if we have something there. 5 games, no points, -3 is not good, but of course that's just stat-watching. If some of the things he's shown lately are to be believed, there should be some positive regression for him, with regards to the counting stats. Too soon to tell, but he's had flashes. He's way, way better than that other LHD we picked up who's name I've already forgotten.

 

[The Red Line]

I get what you're saying about not being able to afford to lose any dman but is 4.4 good value for a #5?

Nope. But does it matter? Cap space is not an issue at all and it isn't a long term deal.

 

[Shaman464]

Dustin Byfuglien him. Play him at wing for a few years and once you can afford to play him lower in the defensive lineup put him as a #5/2nd PP d-man.

 

[Bench]

I maintain he's Kevin Shattenkirk 2.0.

He's a good and positive impact player if you can put him into the right position. 2nd PP, offensive zone starts. But you cannot have him be a core piece of your blueline. His defensive play, specifically the transitional decision making, will blow up in your face if you're leaning on him in the big moments.

If we're able to maintain him at a reasonable price, I have no issues if he's a long-term option for this team. But guys like Hronek should be one of the first to be moved if they start asking for lofty contracts. And thus why Shattenkirk has been bouncing about. He's been pretty good most places, you just don't build around him.

 

[jaster]

I maintain he's Kevin Shattenkirk 2.0.

He's a good and positive impact player if you can put him into the right position. 2nd PP, offensive zone starts. But you cannot have him be a core piece of your blueline. His defensive play, specifically the transitional decision making, will blow up in your face if you're leaning on him in the big moments.

If we're able to maintain him at a reasonable price, I have no issues if he's a long-term option for this team. But guys like Hronek should be one of the first to be moved if they start asking for lofty contracts. And thus why Shattenkirk has been bouncing about. He's been pretty good most places, you just don't build around him.

How do you define "core piece"? That's not a loaded question, just trying to see where you're coming from on that.

As far as asking for lofty contracts, I was worried about that in his last negotiation, and it turned out to be fine. But then the rumors came out that he's currently unhappy with his role here now, and so I'm once again worried about his demands when his current contract is up. This is a factor that adds fuel to the "trade him now" fire.

 

[Frk It]

Even though I think he really doesn't get enough credit for the things he does well (he does do some things well), it is shocking to me how bad he has been at defending passes to the center ice this year.

Like how can you be a guy that has played defense for this long, and are pretty otherwise coordinated, but you just never get a piece of or intercept passes from out wide to the center of the ice.

I almost wonder if he would be better off playing LD so his stick is towards the middle of the ice, but I feel like I have seen him get killed from both sides this year. In OT or odd-man situations I have seen it happen on both sides.

Like I would just run him in drills to defend this situation a million times if I was the coach.

 

[nhlisawesome]

Seriously. I don't understand the plethora of comments over the past couple seasons where people essentially say, "I don't know how he puts up the points he does, it's baffling." What? Again, Hronek has his flaws, and he's gotten extra opportunity, but his puck-moving ability is pretty dang good overall. You don't get the points he does simply from getting extra TOI. You still have to be competent. His steadiness with the puck on his stick both when the team is transitioning and when we have possession in the O zone is clearly underrated around here. As long as he has an opening on the breakout, the kid can transition the puck. And he can cycle. With so many PMDs in Detroit recently who just implode in the transition game because they have a really low panic threshold, or bobble hand grenades in the O zone, Hronek has held good value in that regard.

Will be interested in continuing to watch Walman. I wonder if we have something there. 5 games, no points, -3 is not good, but of course that's just stat-watching. If some of the things he's shown lately are to be believed, there should be some positive regression for him, with regards to the counting stats. Too soon to tell, but he's had flashes. He's way, way better than that other LHD we picked up who's name I've already forgotten.

Juleovi? Jesus that guy is junk

 

[Reddwit]

He’s seemingly regressed defensively, and that wasn’t his strong suit to begin with. He’s still only 24 though. I’m hoping he can have a Dumba-like development curve, where he eventually stabilizes defensively. But no one seems to make big strides defensively on this roster so I’m not holding out hope.

 

[golffuul]

How do you define "core piece"? That's not a loaded question, just trying to see where you're coming from on that.

As far as asking for lofty contracts, I was worried about that in his last negotiation, and it turned out to be fine. But then the rumors came out that he's currently unhappy with his role here now, and so I'm once again worried about his demands when his current contract is up. This is a factor that adds fuel to the "trade him now" fire.

Is he unhappy because he's getting too many minutes? Does he think he's better than Seider? If he's unhappy getting 21+ minutes a night, for a rebuilding team, he's going to be shocked if he ever goes to a different team.

 

[DoMakc]

Is he unhappy because he's getting too many minutes? Does he think he's better than Seider? If he's unhappy getting 21+ minutes a night, for a rebuilding team, he's going to be shocked if he ever goes to a different team.

I guess he is unhappy with PP time, and mostly a decoy PP role.

 

[golffuul]

I guess he is unhappy with PP time, and mostly a decoy PP role.

I mean...he was given all the shots in the world to take, in the first half of the season, and he either missed the net by a wide margin, shot into defenders, or refused to shoot. Hronek's progress, or lack thereof, is really all on him. He could have been working on skating, playing more physical, or shot accuracy. My guess is that the rest of the players view him more as a decoy than the actual PP setup is intended, because of his inconsistent effort there.

 

[Rzombo4 prez]

How do you define "core piece"? That's not a loaded question, just trying to see where you're coming from on that.

As far as asking for lofty contracts, I was worried about that in his last negotiation, and it turned out to be fine. But then the rumors came out that he's currently unhappy with his role here now, and so I'm once again worried about his demands when his current contract is up. This is a factor that adds fuel to the "trade him now" fire.

What exactly is the rumor about him being unhappy with his role and where exactly did it come from?

 

[DoMakc]

I mean...he was given all the shots in the world to take, in the first half of the season, and he either missed the net by a wide margin, shot into defenders, or refused to shoot. Hronek's progress, or lack thereof, is really all on him. He could have been working on skating, playing more physical, or shot accuracy. My guess is that the rest of the players view him more as a decoy than the actual PP setup is intended, because of his inconsistent effort there.

Well I'm not saying, his lack of PP time is undeserved.

 

[Retire91]

Hronek did an admirable job carrying the torch but he seems to need to play further down the lineup and maybe a powerplay specialist. He really laves a gap on our own side of the ice when he is out. I also agree with someone above I wonder what he would do on the wing and maybe play point on the PP. 4.4 is a little steep for a 3rd pairing D unless he shows up with some continued PP support. If there is a team looking for a shattenkirk type D he might be a great trade asset. My 2 cents