The Toronto Maple Leafs need a serious overhaul on the defensive side of the ice, and the Vancouver Canucks’ Filip Hronek could be the perfect player to target in a trade.
It’s unclear how general manager John Chayka envisions upgrading the defence for the Leafs, but last season showed that it’s clear the group needs to get younger and become far more mobile.
There are some solid pieces the Leafs should retain, particularly Chris Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, but some new faces must be brought in to shake things up and give the Leafs a different look.
This could see the likes of Morgan Rielly moved, which would see the team’s longest-serving player depart after being drafted fifth overall in 2012 and making his debut for the team in 2013.
If the Leafs do make serious changes on the back end, then Vancouver’s Filip Hronek is fully worth consideration.
Hronek fits the Leafs’ needs
The number one thing the Toronto Maple Leafs desperately need along the blueline is a smart puck mover capable of contributing at both ends of the ice.
Last season, with the dead-last Canucks, Hronek registered an impressive 49 points (eight goals, 41 assists) in 82 regular-season games, which was good enough for second-highest on the team. He plays big minutes, averaging 25 per game in 2025–26, and does do plenty of dirty work in his own end, with 100 blocked shots (third-highest on the team) and 133 hits (fourth-highest).
With a stronger supporting cast, which the Leafs certainly have, Hronek has been positive on plus/minus, with an even score in 2024–25 and a +33 the season before. With Vancouver clearly the worst team in the NHL last year, Hronek’s high minutes saw him on the wrong end of results often, with a -23 this past campaign.
He has a decent size at 6-foot, 190lbs, and is a right-shot defenceman, which makes him even more valuable when considering deployments, and he only turns 29 in November. The Leafs need to bring the average age of the defensive corps down, and Hronek could certainly help towards that.
The Caveats of a trade
As with all prospective trade targets, there are some caveats regarding the Toronto Maple Leafs acquiring Filip Hronek.
Firstly is Hronek’s contract. Next season, he will be entering the third year of an eight-year deal that holds a cap hit of $7.25M. This is a sizeable contract, just $250k less than Morgan Rielly’s own deal. If Rielly can be moved, then space would be readily available to take on such a large contract.
If, however, Rielly remains with the team next season, then landing Hronek becomes a far bigger challenge, and could potentially fade away if there’s no space to make a deal.
Next is undoubtedly the cost of trading for him. The Canucks look set to enter a full rebuild and could be interested in offloading existing players if it helps them in the long-run. This could see them put a high price on certain players, though, especially as Hronek is such a key part of the team’s defence currently.
The Leafs may want to try to retool quickly and compete once again, but Chayka should not give up a lot of future draft capital to achieve this if possible. The Leafs lucked into the first-overall pick this year, but it could have been a disaster with the team losing two consecutive first-rounders to the Philadelphia Flyers and Boston Bruins because of previous deals.
Toronto needs to find a way to acquire Hronek while not giving up the farm and avoiding a repeat of emptying the prospect pool in hopes of immediate gains.
The no-move clause
Finally, and arguably the most important, is Hronek’s No-Move Clause. He can’t be traded or sent down to the minors without giving express permission, and it gives him all the power over where his future lies.
Toronto, who are looking to be a contender immediately again, could be an interesting destination for a player such as him, as it gives him a better chance of competing through the prime of his career.
If the Toronto Maple Leafs can overcome these areas, they could land themselves a top-pairing defenceman who can play a 200-foot game for years to come.
Rielly knows 2 seasons ago wasn’t that good and that this past season he was worse. He has been a favourite of Leafs fans but if this continues, he’s going to start getting booed and lose favour. He must therefore waive his NMC and get traded.
The Leafs should NEVER acquire a player with NMC, period. Let alone 5 years remaining until he’s 34.
I would love to see Reilly packaged with the 1st overall pick for Hronek and Vancouver’s 3rd overall pick. Of course there are the two NMCs both players have standing in the way of that but it is not impossible.
At 3rd overall there will still be a player who can be a difference maker, though it will not likely be McKenna but still, the team would be so much more improved. Both now and when the new prospect is NHL ready.
It is my hope that the Leafs squeeze every drop of value out of their good fortune of winning the draft lottery. They have the option to draft 1st or listen to offers from teams drafting 2-5 for a haul to pick up a roster player or two, a future pick and/or clean house.