Colorado Avalanche claim Dryden Hunt off waivers

The Colorado Avalanche have claimed forward Dryden Hunt off waivers from the New York Rangers, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported Thursday afternoon.

Hunt, 26, spent the 2021–22 season with the Rangers, scoring six goals and 17 points in 76 games. He did not record a point in three playoff games with the Rangers in 2022.

In three games with the Rangers to begin the 2022–23 season, Hunt scored one goal while averaging just 8:49 per night. He’s under contract through next July at a $762,500 cap hit.

Undrafted out of the Western Hockey League, Hunt exploded with 58 goals and 116 points in 72 games with the Moose Jaw Warriors in 2015–16 and parlayed that into an entry-level deal with the Florida Panthers.

Hunt appeared in 63 games over parts of three seasons with the Panthers between 2017–18 and 2019–20, scoring three goals and 15 points. The Panthers elected not to qualify Hunt as a restricted free agent in 2020.

As an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career, Hunt signed a one-year deal with the Arizona Coyotes for the 2020–21 season. The 6′, 193-pound forward scored three goals and eight points in 26 games with the Coyotes.

Released from his RFA status again, Hunt signed a two-year contract with the Rangers in July 2021. He became an NHL regular for the first time in 2021–22, appearing in all but six of the Rangers’ 82 games during the regular season.

The Avalanche previously lost Lukas Sedlak to the Philadelphia Flyers via waivers on Wednesday, opening up a spot on their roster for a player like Hunt. In 168 career NHL games with the Panthers, Coyotes, and Rangers, Hunt has scored 13 goals and 41 points.