Jim Rutherford always had a reputation as a baller when it came to these sorts of negotiations, and he played the game until the very end with Elias Pettersson, especially when the rumours started coming out of a potential trade with the Caroline Hurricanes. The experienced manager eventually got what he wanted.
Now, Filip Hronek is trying to play the ''hard-to-get game,'' and the Canucks were seemingly trying to play the same game. The moment it was revealed that Hronek would be after an annual average of $8M, his name started appearing in the trade rumours, and insiders even admitted that the Canucks wouldn't be scared to trade him away if his ask didn't go down.
The beloved Frank Seravalli was on Sekeres and Price earlier and may have called the Canucks' bluff early. The insider revealed that he wasn't getting the sense the Canucks wanted to part ways with him, but he added that the Captain (Quinn Hughes) would be disappointed if the team decided to go down that road:
Hronek played the season by the Canucks' captain side, and it appears that they've grown quite fond of each other. Everybody was shocked when the news broke that Hronek would be going after an $8M AAV. Are the Canucks willing to go there?
Hronek had a stellar season debut by the captain's side, but things slowed down during the second half, and they weren't perfect during the playoffs. Even though Hronek has been around the league for some time, it was his first appearance in the spring dance.
