The Canucks will get their No. 2 defenceman back in the lineup in the near future.
That means after skating on his own for a few weeks, he’s just about ready to suit up for games.
It’s been exactly six weeks since Hronek, 27, fell awkwardly into the boards against the Pittsburgh Penguins and injured his shoulder in some way.
In early December, the Canucks said Hronek would be out for “approximately eight weeks,” so he appears to be somewhat ahead of schedule, though he is allowed to be on his conditioning loan for as long as two weeks, so if he were to do that he’d hit that eight week mark.
The NHL Canucks are currently in the midst of a five-game road trip; Wednesday they play in Washington against the Capitals, then this weekend on Friday and Saturday they go back to back in Carolina and Toronto, before finishing the trip next Tuesday in Winnipeg.
Their first game back home is Jan. 16 vs. Los Angeles, then games the following Saturday and Monday. Presumably the hope on Vancouver’s part is that Hronek might be ready to return during that home stand.
The simple truth is that even when Hronek has been in the lineup, the Canucks have struggled to control the game when the Hughes-Hronek partnership hasn’t been on the ice so it’s surely time to see if they can change that dynamic by giving Hronek a chance to drive play away from Hughes.