Sekeres and Price: Frank Seravalli talking with Matt Sekeres and Blake Price about pending RFA defenseman Filip Hronek. If it takes $8 million a season to get Hronek extended, the Canucks should do it. It make seem to some like an overpayment now, but in a few years it won’t seem like one with the salary cap going up.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Sekeres: “If you’re looking for one player who key the turnaround from terrible Canucks season last year, to very good Canucks season this year, it’s Filip Hronek.”
Seravalli: “That’s, that’s the point I made yesterday with Quads was…”
Sekeres; “Unequivocally.”
Serevalli: “(Elias) Pettersson’s here. (Quinn) Hughes’ here. Demko is here. I know the coaching change has been a huge part of it and you could make the comments about the bottom-six, and the penalty kill and the other couple, you know, defenseman that they brought in, in (Ian) Cole and (Cason) Soucy has been good.
But the one thread to me to all of that it has been you know, the Canucks had an engine, to me Hronek has been the jet fuel to then have that take off.”
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Sekeres: “Right. I mean, if you want to argue healthy Demko, yes, absolutely.”
Seravalli: “Sure.”
Sekeres: “But of course, what team without healthy goaltending is, you know, able to play at this level? But the one addition to the group this year that has really made them go, has been Hronek.”
Price: “How about this guys? I mean, I’ll be the first to say, didn’t love the J.T. Miller contract when it was signed. He’s probably going to be 100 point player this year, which means most likely…”
Seravalli: “Again, by the way.”
Price: “Yeah, most likely. You know the next two years are probably very profitable seasons for J.T. Miller in terms of points-per-game. Maybe you’ve got a couple of seasons at the end of this contract that you wish weren’t there but at $8 million in 28-29, who knows what the caps at? But you know, that could be pretty palatable.
Could we make the argument for a guy that’s younger, much younger, in, in Filip Hronek that you’re paying, if you pay him eight now, like how soon until you don’t really care about that 8 million?
Like is the is the cap going to be going up at such a rate here where $8 millions pretty doable for a number two, number three guy on your team?”
Seravalli: “Just back of the napkin math, 28-29, the cap should be somewhere between $120 and $125 million bucks.”
Price: “Which you know, $8 million is nothing at that point.”
Serevalli: “Right. So I would say for right now, like let’s just say operate under the hypothetical that, let’s say this lands at eight (years) times $8 (million per). And it’s, it’s a place where player is probably pretty satisfied. Team is probably grumbling a little bit. Fan base is probably grumbling a little bit.
The next few years while you’re in your competitive window, like to me, it’s way better to have the known commodity that you know works versus having to go out and find it again.
Sekeres: “Absolutely.”
Serevalli: “And I think the longer it goes on for a guy that will, you know, in a few years will still be sub 30 (years old). Like I’m looking at it saying there’s really no risk on the part of the Canucks. Like let’s say you get three years in or four years in and you want to change things up. That’s not going to be a contract you’re going to have an issue moving.
I mean, look, just look at his, from a pure counting stats basis going back to when he first got into the league. I said this when I first joined you guys and talked about Hronek and I said that this contract would be a number that started with an eight, and everyone laughed at me. He’s a half-a-point-per-game defenseman. And the right-shot guy.
Like that is the, that’s going to be the going rate, and I don’t see that number falling off a cliff. Like his production isn’t suddenly going to end. And you can make whatever comments you want about driving his own pair or whatever it is. You don’t need him to drive his own pair. You’ve got maybe one of the best pairs in the entire league if not the best. What more do you need?
Serekes: “I mean, and he’s an all-situations defenseman too. Like you know he’s out there in every important situations. He’s the number three penalty killer on defense. He can play power play, just doesn’t to the extent because of Hughes.
So you don’t think eight by eight…”
Seravalli: “By, by the way, so like why dick around with this, to just be just blunt with my thought process. So is Quinn Hughes gonna be pissed that he’s making $150,000 more than him, on the gap?
Price: “I don’t think so knowing that he’s about to be making $14 million a season in a couple of years.”
Seravalli: “That’s my point. Like what’s a hundred, first off, what’s a $150,000?
Serekes: “Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
Seravalli: “Is it, is it the optics of you need to be King Kong on the cap that you feel like just from a period, I don’t, I’ve never gotten that sense from Quinn Hughes. Do you guys think that that’s something he would care about?”
Price: “No again, and this is the flex contract of Filip Hronek. It’s not getting any better. He’s not signing another deal, Filip Hronek. And Hughes …”
Seravalli: “This is it. This is his only change.
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Price: “Hughes knows my version of that contract is going to be twice that contract,
Serekes: “Right.”
Seravalli: “He, I didn’t look today but I think his career earnings are $9 million. Like this is it. This is his big-boy deal. Quinn Hughes has already gotten lifetime security. The next one is gonna just be, you know, how big your house and your fourth house are, and your boat are.
Serekes: “Right. Exactly.”
Seravalli: “I can’t imagine him getting in the way, is my point. And so if Quinn Hughes is not getting in the way, why would the Canucks stick their nose out and get it out of joint over a seemingly what, a rule, just an arbitrary rule to make a rule? That’s why I don’t, I don’t think it has any merit.”
Serekes: “Right. So you think 8 (years) by $8 (million) gets it done with Hronek?
Serevalli: “I don’t know. But that, that, I would seem to think so.”
Price: “Am I quibbling by saying eight (million) by seven (years)? Like do you think that extra year means something to Allan Walsh?”
Serevalli: “I don’t know, I, I would think that where he’s at he’d want to get the eighth year. Wouldn’t, I mean, I would want to get the eighth year. By that point, he’d be what, 34 (years old), like 33, 34.
Price: “Still probably pretty, pretty decent.:
Seravalli: “Yeah, but you’re probably not pulling in $8 (million). You’re probably, the next one might look like a $4 or $5 (million).
Price: “Right, right. Yeah.”
Seravalli: “So you’d probably want that eighth year to maximize your earnings. But that’s how I would think of it.
Price: “I wonder if that’s a place to save some dough with, if they can negotiate on that number then, rather than the eight.
.@frank_seravalli on why Hronek at $8M is not an overpayment for the #Canucks with the cap going up:
“Demko is here, I know the coaching change…the roster has changed…the Canucks had an engine and to me, Hronek was the jet fuel that allowed them to take off…$8 million in… pic.twitter.com/73GV0KOofc
— Sekeres and Price (@sekeresandprice) March 24, 2024
