Just before the holiday roster freeze kicks in, the Maple Leafs have made a swap of depth forwards with the Colorado Avalanche, trading Denis Malgin for 27-year-old left winger Dryden Hunt.
Claimed by Colorado off of waivers in late October, the undrafted Hunt has two goals, zero assists, and 17 shots on goal in 28 games this season split between the Rangers and Avalanche while playing just 7:57 per night on average. His offensive numbers were a little more viable last season with six goals and 17 points in 76 games. Hunt hasn’t played a role on either side of special teams throughout his 193-game NHL career.
The 6’0, 193-pound BC native’s offensive impacts aren’t exactly noteworthy in his NHL career so far, but his defensive metrics do grade out really well in the WAR and RAPM models:
After his return from Switzerland this past offseason, Malgin occupied a role in the lineup where he was meant to provide secondary scoring but wasn’t at all productive (just an 11-point pace) despite plenty of opportunity in prime positions up the lineup, including a recent stretch with John Tavares and Mitch Marner.
Malgin had his best run of the season on a fourth line with David Kampf and Zach Aston-Reese — he was providing a little offensive spunk to a line that was controlling the run of play well — but he gradually receded into the background over time as the Leafs‘ lineup was shifted around due to a multitude of factors, including injures. All told, four points in 23 games, including an active 12-game pointless slump, wasn’t moving the needle in the slightest when we consider the physical and defensive impacts aren’t noteworthy, either.
With Calle Järnkrok returning from a groin injury, Pontus Holmberg cementing himself as a regular, and recent call-up Joey Anderson gaining a little traction on the fourth line, Malgin was about to become the odd-man out, so the Leafs moved him along for a depth option who might be able to give them at least give them some useful checking-line minutes — another option with some defensive ability and physicality — if called-upon on a line with Holmberg or Kampf.
Among all 804 NHL skaters this season, Dryden Hunt ranks 15th in hits per 60 at 18.5. The Leafs initially envisioned Nicolas Aube-Kubel providing this kind of element for them, but they lost him to a waiver claim by Washington in October.
I’m a Dryden Hunt fan already pic.twitter.com/xZiCOrYiWE
— Jen (@tavmarnythews) December 19, 2022
There is the real possibility is that Hunt will be waivers fodder again this season depending on how the numbers game plays out on the roster over time, but if he were to pass through, the Leafs may have a player who is perhaps more likely to fit into the Marlies‘ program than Malgin, who returned from Europe with the expectation of NHL opportunity.
The Leafs took a bet on a player with elite defensive impacts and a career-high 19 points before in David Kampf to good success, so who knows — maybe they think there is a little more offense to be squeezed out of Hunt as they put him on their program with their skills development team, although Hunt just turned 27 and probably is what he is at this point.
The one-for-one keeps the Leafs at the same number of Standard Player Contracts, but keep in mind that the Leafs opened up an SPC spot (and now sit at 49/50) after terminating Finnish defense prospect Axel Rindell’s contract last week.
Hunt, who is signed to a $762,500 cap hit, will be a UFA at season’s end.
