New York Rangers player preview: LW Dryden Hunt

When the New York Rangers signed Dryden Hunt on the first day of free agency, it was not talked about all that much. It is understandable, as he is more of a depth forward who has also spent some time in the AHL in previous years. However, he should still be a nice addition for the Rangers because of what he provides.

In 26 games this past season with the Arizona Coyotes, Hunt scored three goals and recorded eight total points. For a player who was not a mainstay in their lineup, those type of statistics are pretty good, especially in his depth role. The Rangers are certainly hoping that he can carry that success over to them next season.

Before playing for the Coyotes, Hunt played parts of three seasons in the NHL with the Florida Panthers. Yet, as a member of their organization, he spent most of his time with their AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds. With them, he posted nearly a point-per-game in three out of his four AHL seasons. Thus, he does have a bit of an offensive touch to his game.

Also, on a side note, in his final junior season with the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors in 2015-16, he scored 58 goals and recorded 116 points in 72 games. This would be enough for him to be named the WHL’s Player of the Year. Perhaps he can tap into his offensive potential a bit more moving forward.

Hunt stands a good shot of being the Rangers’ 13th forward.

Ultimately, it seems that Hunt will be the Rangers’ 13th forward when looking at their depth chart. The Rangers have a lot of depth on both wings, so it will be hard for Hunt to cement himself as a regular in the lineup. They also have to prioritize the developments of young wingers Alexis Lafreniere, Kaapo Kakko and Vitali Kravtsov. Newly acquired wingers Sammy Blais and Ryan Reaves also warrant and will receive more ice time.

However, even with this being the case, Hunt should still get into his fair share of action. Both injuries and illnesses occur in this league. When this inevitably happens to a forward in their lineup, Hunt will most likely be their replacement. He has shown that he can contribute in this league, even if it is in a limited role.

However, he also will have some competition, as forwards Tim Gettinger and recently signed Greg McKegg also are potential candidates. However, when seeing as how Hunt is coming off of a strong season that saw him get the most NHL action out of the bunch, he does seem to be the frontrunner at this juncture.

Hunt, like many of their new acquisitions, will add physicality when playing.

At 6’0″ and 193 pounds, Hunt may not be the most imposing of NHL figures, but he does play a hard game. His statistics last season alone display this perfectly. In his 26 games last season, he notably had 96 hits. Although he is not as well-known as Reaves and Jarred Tinordi when it comes to his physicality, he sure still does love to throw the body often. This is something that the Rangers will notice when he is inserted into the lineup.

The Rangers have focused primarily on becoming a stronger and tougher team this off-season. Hunt will not be the main player who will provide this, but he still does help with his style of play.

With Hunt only having an Average Annual Value (AAV) of $762,500 for the next two seasons, there is absolutely zero risk to this signing. It will be interesting to see how Hunt performs with the team, as he does have the potential to be quite entertaining to watch.