Dryden Hunt didn’t exactly have the easiest season for any player in 2022–23. He started the season with the New York Rangers. He was playing out the second year of his two-year contract signed with the Rangers. In the previous year, he made 76 appearances, picking up six goals and 11 assists.
In October 2022, he played three games with the Rangers before he was placed on waivers. The Colorado Avalanche claimed him and he featured in 25 games with the defending Stanley Cup champions before he was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Now suiting up for his fifth team in four seasons, Hunt was looking to make an impact with the Leafs and settle into a city.
Going from New York to Colorado to Toronto, Hunt was sought after and played not just for playoff teams, but outright contenders in their own divisions with strong Stanley Cup odds. Unfortunately, he didn’t get into playoff action and he was eventually traded to the Calgary Flames.
Make that six teams in four years. However, Hunt’s hockey progression as a journeyman has come to an end as it seems he has finally established his presence in Calgary.
Calgary’s been good for Hunt
After the Flames acquired Hunt, he played out the remainder of the 2022–23 season with the Calgary Wranglers in the AHL. In 17 games, he was nearly a point-per-game player with five goals and 10 assists. He had a big playoff impact too as he put up three goals and three assists in nine appearances. The time spent with the Wranglers was good for him as it allowed him to find his footing again.
In the offseason, a contact offer from Craig Conroy came Hunt’s way and he signed a two-year deal with a total of $1.55M to stick with Calgary.
Now in 2023–24, Hunt played in four games in October and November with the Flames where he wasn’t exactly good. He was placed on waivers and cleared, meaning he’d be back with the Wranglers—a team that he has seen success with. Well, after a few months, he was called up again in mid-February and he’s been in the lineup ever since.
This article isn’t meant to discuss how the Flames should be constructing their lineup, or which prospects should be getting more ice time over replacement-level players, but instead, it’s meant to highlight how Hunt has absolutely made the most of this latest NHL opportunity.
Hunt’s biggest impact on the scoresheet is happening now
Using 5v5 stats from NaturalStatTrick.com, here’s how his individual stats are turning out with the Flames this year.
| TOI/GP | G/60 | A1/60 | A2/60 | P/60 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:05 | 0.95 | 0.95 | 0 | 1.91 |
In fairly limited ice time, Hunt is posting nearly two points per 60 minutes of 5v5 ice time. This is his best point output of his career thus far. His previous high was in 2020–21 with the Arizona Coyotes, where he posted 0.59 goals and 0.99 assists for a rate of 1.58 points per 60.
All of his points this season have come between February 24 to March 14. Yes, he’s been held pointless for more games than not, but he’s also posted six points over a nine-game stretch. Not bad at all.
Hunt’s on-ice impacts still leave more to be desired
Turning to 5v5, score- and venue-adjusted on-ice stats, Hunt’s play could use some cleaning up.
| Season | Team | GP | CF% | FF% | GF% | xGF% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021–22 | NYR | 76 | 48.51 | 48.33 | 37.67 | 48.64 |
| 2022–23 | NYR | 3 | 40.3 | 43.78 | 35.22 | 34.82 |
| 2022–23 | COL | 25 | 54.52 | 51.62 | 10.93 | 48.23 |
| 2022–23 | TOR | 9 | 44.33 | 46.46 | 36.84 | 36.35 |
| 2023–24 | CGY | 17 | 48.55 | 51.57 | 52.71 | 46.03 |
Looking back at the last three seasons for Hunt, he’s seeing strong results in terms of Fenwick for and goals for, both being above the 50% mark, but Corsi for and expected goals for is struggling.
That said, across the balance of his own results, he’s seeing improvements. He’s having a better season this year than he had last year with Toronto, but he did see strong results with the Colorado Avalanche.
For context, his primary 5v5 linemates with Toronto were Zach Aston-Reese and Pontus Holmberg, while he played with Jayson Megna and Alex Newhook, while in Colorado. This season, he’s played the most minutes with Yegor Sharangovich with over 68 minutes at 5v5, followed by playing with Jonathan Huberdeau, Kevin Rooney, and Mikael Backlund—all three of whom he has shared over 40 minutes of 5v5 ice time with.
While he had better on-ice metrics with the Avalanche (as one might get playing with the reigning Cup champions), he is getting a balanced mix of good enough on-ice impacts with actual scoring results right now.
A strong rebound season for Hunt
No, Hunt isn’t on this team to be a game-breaker, but he absolutely is on this team as a contributor. For someone who couldn’t find a place to call home at all last year, since arriving in Calgary, he’s found a home with the C of Red.
