The Vancouver Canucks are getting Filip Hronek back tonight and his return marks a massive milestone for a team that has been beaten up this season.
Hronek’s faster-than-expected recovery has him ready to play tonight for the first time since November 27. He’ll start in his regular place beside captain Quinn Hughes but will have his minutes monitored, per Sportsnet’s Dan Murphy.
The Czechia-born defenceman’s return means that the Canucks have all of their best players back on the ice for the first time in months. Besides Hronek, J.T. Miller, Elias Pettersson, Quinn Hughes, Brock Boeser, and Thatcher Demko have all missed time this season, meaning the Canucks have rarely had their entire core all playing together.
In fact, tonight’s contest against the Winnipeg Jets is the first time the Canucks will have all of those aforementioned players in the same lineup together. Despite being healthy, Demko will back up Kevin Lankinen, who has been on fire and is coming off a huge shutout over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Dakota Joshua is the lone regular contributor who remains out with an injury. He was most recently described as “week-to-week” by head coach Rick Tocchet eight days ago.
Tonight is the first time #Canucks have a healthy Hronek, Demko, Pettersson, Miller, Boeser, and Hughes together this season.
— Noah Strang (@noahstrang_) January 14, 2025
The Canucks will need all of their top players healthy as they’ve recently fallen out of a playoff spot. The Calgary Flames have passed them for the second Wild Card position in the Western Conference, whether you sort by points percentage or total points.
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While they trail the playoff bar by just a single point, the Canucks are five points behind the Los Angeles Kings for third place in the Pacific Division, and the Kings have a game in hand. That’s some serious ground to make up if the Canucks want to avoid facing off against a division champion.
The Canucks have faced a ton of adversity this season. The first half of the season has brought more challenges than the entirety of last year’s campaign. Having all of their best players back in the lineup ready to go is exactly what they need as they face an uphill climb back into a playoff spot over the coming months.