from Bob Duff of Detroit Hockey Now,

Did money play a role in the decision made by the Detroit Red Wings to deal veteran defenseman Filip Hronek to the Vancouver Canucks? Someone with impeccable hockey credentials is of the opinion that it did.

Speaking on the Donnie And Dhali podcast on Vancouver’s CHEK, Hall of Fame coach Scotty Bowman, who guided the Red Wings to three Stanley Cups, felt that perhaps Detroit GM Steve Yzerman was looking ahead to a near future that will see him paying big bucks to both Moritz Seider and Simon Edvinsson.

“I guess Detroit, they were looking to the future,” Bowman reasoned. “Maybe they can’t afford to pay him what he’s gonna end up getting. They’ve got some young defensemen. They’ve got Moritz Seider, who’s there now, and they got a really good young guy, Simon Edvinsson.”

Hronek will be paid $5.5 million next season. He’ll be an RFA in 2024. That’s when 2021-22 Calder Trophy winner Seider will be up for his second contract. Two years later, it’ll be Edvinsson’s turn to get paid.

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