Insider Singles Out the Ottawa Senators as Suitor for Filip Hronek

As TSN insider Pierre LeBrun said on Wednesday, all bets are off in Vancouver as the Canucks embrace a rebuild. Virtually nobody can be considered safe right now, which has speculation swirling around the numerous quality veteran players who could be dealt in the coming weeks.

The noise around Elias Pettersson has been the loudest, while Jake DeBrusk, Conor Garland, and Kiefer Sherwood aren’t far behind as logical—if not likely—trade candidates. As intriguing as those names are, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman believes defenseman Filip Hronek would draw the most interest if made available, and he foresees an Eastern Canadian team being firmly in the mix.

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That team, according to Friedman, is the Ottawa Senators, whom he singled out as a potential landing spot should the Canucks truly listen to offers on Hronek.

Friedman said:

“Yes, he would be the guy. I think if Vancouver was serious he would be the guy… I guarantee to you if he was available, I could see a team like Ottawa doing something, I could see a whole bunch of teams calling them about him.”

The 28-year-old Hronek is having a strong season, with 27 points (three goals, 24 assists) produced across his first 47 games played. He’s in year two of the eight-year, $58 million extension he signed with the Canucks in 2024, which includes a full no-movement clause through 2027-28.

Filip Hronek is a Perfect Target for Ottawa

While the Senators currently sit on the outside of the playoff picture, seven points back of the final wild-card spot, they shouldn’t be discounted from making a push.

Even if they fall short, trading for a player in his prime with term like Hronek perfectly fits their direction as a franchise, hoping to be a contender not just in 2025-26 but for years to come.

The left side of Jake Sanderson, Thomas Chabot, and Tyler Kleven is one of the league’s strongest trios, but the right side could use an upgrade. Artem Zub and Jordan Spence have been very solid, though they don’t bring much offensive upside. Enter Hronek—potentially in place of Nick Jensen—and suddenly an already strong blue line becomes even more dangerous.

Of course, the biggest question would be whether Ottawa is capable of meeting Jim Rutherford and Patrik Allvin’s asking price for their top defenseman. That said, Ottawa does have some assets to get creative and put together a package intriguing enough to at least start the conversation.

Next: Is Now the Time for Maple Leafs, Others to Pounce on Jason Robertson Trade?