The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed defenceman Matt Hunwick to a two-year, $2.4 million contract ($1.2 million AAV).
This is another left-side depth defenceman for the Leafs, where he’ll join Rielly, Gardiner, Marincin, Harrington and Percy competing for spots and ice time.
The Rangers were known to have wanted Hunwick back. The Leafs liked him enough to give him an extra year of term.
Hunwick, 30 years old, put up 11 points in 55 games for New York. He played 15:48 a night on average, mostly all at even strength.
Hunwick spent most of 2013-14 with the Lake Erie Monsters of the AHL. Prior to, he played big-time minutes in the Avs’ top four, skating nearly 21 minutes a night for them in 2012-13, which was second highest among Colorado defensemen in the lockout-shortened year. Many Avs fans soured on him because he was way overused and overexposed in that role.
This is an analytically-supported move: Hunwick was the Rangers’ leading CF% player with 53% on-ice possession share, and a 4.33 CFRelative. At 5’11, he’s a little undersized and not overly physical, but he can skate, and handles and moves the puck pretty well.
Hunwick is a nice little pick up by the Leafs pic.twitter.com/We7CqUoIA6
— Domenic Galamini Jr. (@DomGalamini) July 1, 2015