Extend 2 years of flames to Dryden Hunting – Hockey Writer – Calgary Flame
On Friday, June 20, the Calgary Flames announced that they would re-sign Forward Dryden Hunt as a two-year contract with an average annual interest rate of $825,000. This contract provides you with a reasonable amount of funds and adds insurance to the skating group in case of injury.
Pen to paper✍️
Dryden Hunt has signed a two-year two-way contract extension with an AAV of $825,000!#Flame | @Original16Beer pic.twitter.com/3OFOPP8LOD
– Calgary Flames (@nhlflames) June 20, 2025
Hunt was not sent by an NHL team to play in the Western Hockey League (WHL) until his 21-year-old season with Regina Pats, Medicine Hats, Medicine Hat Tigers and Moose Jaw Warriors (from “How the former Flames Tough Man Helped Dryden Hunt to Realize His NHL Dream”,’ Calgary Sun, 10/24/23). His views grew year-on-year in the WHL until he scored 116 points in 72 games in the 2015-16 year-over-year season, winning an American Hockey League (AHL) contract with the Springfield Thunderbirds, followed by a branch of the Florida Panthers. He spent four years in the Panthers system, winning 61 NHL games before being left with an unrestricted free agent and bounced around the rest of the league.
Related: Ranking Calgary Flames’ 2025 Free agent
Flames acquired him from the Doronto Maple Leafs trade in 2023 through the Radim Zohorna. He played for the Wranglers for the rest of the 2023-24 season. In his 235 NHL games, he had 18 goals and 36 assists, with a total of 54 points and 121 free throws.
He spent 33 games in Calgary during two and a half seasons of hunting. While his NHL total is unobtrusive, his AHL total is a different story – he is almost a player who plays with the Wrangler, scoring 86 points in 89 regular season games and eight points in 11 playoff games.
Extended Level: b-
Hunter is primarily an AHL-level player and at this stage of his career (he is 29 years old), he is unlikely to play more than just a marginal role than that. That being said, the hockey season is a long season, and when the field of healthy players is inevitably eliminated, players like Hunt (who enjoys cheap contracts and can easily fill ice time) are a useful player.
Hunt has proven over his nine-year career that he can carry water at the NHL level. In an emergency, it is known that a player who does not actively harm is better than seizing an opportunity that is completely unproven. This is what Hunt offers – unlike many other deep players, he doesn’t have a sculpted character like a shooter or a power expert. He is a relatively wide utility winger and doesn’t exactly lead the team to success, but almost never causes them to lose or fall behind.
However, the contract is a bit rich in using the roster slot. The NHL cap hit rate is higher than the minimum wage, but it is also a two-way contract that will not cover up the fine even if it exceeds the burial limit. This type of player usually doesn’t exceed the lowest level players, and if Calgary wants to eventually move Hunter’s contract to clear the lineup, the extra $100,000 could generate some GM, especially those that are closer than Calgary than Calgary. The term is also a potential criticism of the value of contract trade. If the deep player becomes unreliable, their contract is less attractive if the extra season adds an extra season. If GM Craig Conroy chooses to trade hunting, he may have to wait a season to get the most reward.
Flame also has the possibility of choosing to continue looking for the rest of the contract. By offering the NHL minimum wage (even in a two-way deal), they have shown to the hunt that they like what he has to offer, even if what he offers at the level of the flame is mainly the “media in emergency” button. They pressed the button five times this season and they may need to press it again next season. When they do, at least they know and believe in who they will get. Meanwhile, the Wrangler has a top AHL scorer.
