"Huge loss for them": Elliotte Friedman expects Canucks 'very aggressive' front office to make quick changes after Filip Hronek's injury

The Vancouver Canucks have experienced more than a few key personnel losses this year already. Partly as a result, the team is only 11-7-3 on the year. The recent loss of Filip Hronek has the outlook even murkier for the time being.

Elliotte Friedman, a top hockey analyst, believes this could force the team to start aggressively pursuing alternative options. There's no clear timetable yet, but the team may not be able to afford to wait.

The NHL insider said on his "32 Thoughts" podcast that he envisions the front office getting busy sooner rather than later:

"I don't know what the problem's exact prognosis is, or what might need to be done or not be done, but I just heard he's going to miss some time, and that's obviously a huge loss for them. And, you know, we'll see what they decide to do in terms of filling the space." [18:45]

Friedman said that the biggest concern is that their defensemen haven't played terribly well so far:

"Hughes has been very good and Hronek is very important, like it's, it's the minutes you lose, right? Is and the responsibility you lose. But if you're planning on having them come back, and I hope that that's the case, any move you make has got to be with that in mind."

Filip Hronek will miss some time for the Canucks (Credits: IMAGN)

Hronek went down after a hit from a Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman to close out the game on Wednesday. The team ended up falling to the Penguins by one goal after Hronek left the game.

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Still no timetable for Filip Hronek's return to Canucks

Filip Hronek went down on Wednesday after a hard hit with a minute left in the game. The Vancouver Canucks defenseman may be out for a while, as it is speculated that he might have broken his collarbone, which would require significant time off.

Head coach Rick Tocchet says that Hronek is still being evaluated two days later, and there is no timetable for his return. In the meantime, Vincent Desharnais will start in his place alongside Quinn Hughes.