The New York Rangers have placed forward Dryden Hunt on the waiver wire. This is interesting at this point of the season. Waiving someone this early in the year is either a cap-savvy move to try and accrue more cap space, or Hunt has realistically been so poor in the eyes of management that they have decided that they can move on from him without having to worry about the repercussions on the roster.
Hunt was signed last summer by the Rangers on a two-year deal, making $762,500 against the cap until the end of this year. Upon expiry, he will be an unrestricted free agent. Hunt has bounced all over the league and it is important to remember for someone that is taking the first steps of a journeyman, he’s still just 26 years old. This is not an aging player on the wrong side of 30.
It’s quite easy for the Rangers to replace Hunt with what they have on the roster. Hunt is a physical forward that offers some defensive support, but doesn’t particularly offer much in the way of offense. Given his history in the NHL, teams would be lucky to get 20 points out of him. This doesn’t mean that he is a bad player as there is much more to hockey than just scoring, but he doesn’t do that.
For New York, this does allow them to micromanage their cap situation. As you have probably heard a thousand times by now, the flat cap has made life hard for a lot of teams. But the Rangers have space, and opening up a little more will allow them to build space as they approach the deadline. As it accrues over time, it will open the door to picking up more expensive players for the Rangers.
If they lose Hunt on waivers, there could be some issues with the depth that the organization looks to address edging closer to the NHL trade deadline. It’s always nice to have good depth when the playoffs roll around. Perhaps it’s something the Rangers will look to address if they do lose the Cranbrook, British Columbia native on waivers.