Detroit Red Wings: Filip Hronek is carrying the defense core for now
By Tyler Kotila
The Detroit Red Wings have seen Filip Hronek emerge as the team’s best defenseman early on in the 2020-21 season. While this should not surprise many, Hronek looks good back there on defense and looks to be continuing to develop nicely in his third season in the NHL.
Some people may have thought that Danny DeKeyser’s return to the ice might mean he gets back to the player he was when he first started with the Detroit Red Wings, but instead, it does not appear that way.
On the other hand, there was some buzz around free-agent offseason signing Jonathon Merrill, who was thought to be an answer for some offense from the defense core. Instead, he sits on the sidelines in COVID-19 protocols awaiting reinstatement once deemed healthy once again.
But Hronek looks like he is far and alone, the organization’s best defenseman. He has been solid throughout the time he has spent on the Red Wings blueline, and being that first pairing guy has not seemed to changed his play whatsoever.
The Detroit Red Wings have a solid first pairing defenseman in Filip Hronek, who has emerged as the best, for now.
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Last season, in 2019-20, Hronek had nine goals and 22 assists for 31 total points over 65 games played. This season, Hronek has logged eight games played where he has five assists. The thing with Hronek is that he has continued to look like he can be a staple of the top pairing.
The issue working against him is no fault of his own, though. Back in the summer of 2019, the Red Wings selected Moritz Seider, and he is going to ultimately be the top-pairing number one defenseman this organization has once he gets to the NHL level.
As Seider continues to show such positive development over in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), you almost have to wonder if the Moritz Seider and Filip Hronek defense pairing is not that far out on the horizon.
It may not be too farfetched to suggest that Hronek’s time as the number one defenseman on this roster might come to an end once Seider gets to Hockeytown in the coming year or two and starts turning heads.
Seider will take time to develop and will not be the top defenseman this organization has right off the bat. Hronek will own that title, but Seider will eventually take it from him. But, early on in the 2020-21 season, Hronek is the team’s best defenseman, and that narrative is highly unlikely to change.
The Detroit Red Wings have a solid top-pairing defender in Filip Hronek, and he will continue to prove this once again in 2020-21.