LATEST | Canucks may have found their version of Devon Toews

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Cooper Godin
October 25, 2023 (12:11)

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For the last few seasons, the Vancouver Canucks have had difficulty finding the right partner for Quinn Hughes, but to start the 2023-24 season; Rick Tocchet has his captain paired up with Filip Hronek, who the team acquired last season.

So far this season, the duo of Quinn Hughes and Filip Hronek have played together for nearly 91 minutes and have a Corsi percentage of 57.85 and a Fenwick percentage of 53.33. For those who are unfamiliar with Corsi and Fenwick, here's the definition, thanks to https://www.naturalstattrick.com/glossary.php?players#:~:text=Referred%20to%20as%20SAT%20by,player%20is%20on%20the%20ice.:

Corsi: Any shot attempt (goals, shots on net, misses and blocks) outside of the shootout.
Fenwick: Any unblocked shot attempt (goals, shots on net and misses) outside of the shootout.

Along with their solid underlying numbers, the pairing has been on for six goals while not being on the ice together for a single purpose, which is wild even though the Canucks have only played six games so far.

A Canucks fan on Twitter with the username @Raymond_Hatt made an interesting comparison for defenceman Filip Hronek. He compared Hronek to Colorado Avalanche defenceman Devon Toews, maybe not in play style, but in importance to their defensive partner.

"Maybe this is premature.

But is Hronek to Hughes what Toews is to Makar?

We could be witnessing the start of a tremendous dominant pair.

#Canucks"

Their respective teams traded Toews and Hronek, the Islanders and Red Wings, and have been able to find success with their new clubs and are both playing top minutes and in big situations.

It probably is a little too early to say that Hronek is as important to Quinn Hughes as Devon Toews is to Cale Makar. Still, there's certainly the potential for that statement to become true if the duo continues to play well as the season continues.