His decision to trade defenseman Filip Hronek to the Vancouver Canucks for a first- and second-round pick surprised many. Hronek was a valuable player at the time but Yzerman had two key reasons for the trade. The first one is that he knew it would be hard to re-sign Hronek to a new contract and he saw the trade offer as a good deal to begin rebuilding the team.
This Yzerman move turned out to be really good for the Wings. They are now facing very tight salary cap space and they need to re-sign young stars like Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond. To add on top, the first-round pick from the trade turned to be Axel Sandin-Pellikka, a top defensive prospect right now for the Wings. They also used the second-round pick to draft Brady Cleveland, a big player that could become a solid defenseman in the NHL.
Meanwhile, the Canucks are having trouble with Hronek contract negotiations. After a strong season, Hronek turned down an eight-year deal from Vancouver and he reportedly wants $7 to $7.5 million per year. There are even rumors that he might be traded to the Carolina Hurricanes for Martin Necas which would leave a big gap in Vancouver defense squad.
In conclusion, while Hronek could have helped the Red Wings, I do not think he would have made them contenders right now. The team is still rebuilding and might even take a step back next season since they were struggling this year. With the salary cap in mind next year, Yzerman probably would not have been able to afford Hronek high demands in term of salary, making the trade the best option for the team future.
