The Calgary Flames are keeping a quality AHL scorer for the next few years. The Flames announced they’ve signed forward Dryden Hunt to a two-year, two-way agreement worth $1.65MM ($825K AAV).
The player from Cranbrook, British Columbia, joined the Flames organization through a minor league trade during the 2022-23 NHL season. A few months after Hunt was traded from the Colorado Avalanche to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Denis Malgin, Calgary sent depth player Radim Zohorna to Toronto in exchange for Hunt at the trade deadline.
Despite being an efficient scorer at the AHL level, Hunt has typically been deployed as a fourth-line winger at the NHL level. After debuting with the Florida Panthers during the 2017-18 season, Hunt has scored 18 goals and 54 points in 235 games, averaging 11:02 of ice time per game, and carrying a -31 rating.
His exploits in the AHL have been much better, particularly with the Flames’ AHL affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers. Since making his professional debut in the 2016-17 season with the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds, Hunt has scored 104 goals and 245 points in 318 games, with a +37 rating. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been on many successful teams, reaching the playoffs only twice in his seven-year career.
Calgary could have some moving parts toward the bottom of their forward core during the 2025-26 campaign, but it’s unlikely to affect Hunt. The Flames are leaning toward larger opportunities for Adam Klapka and Samuel Honzek, meaning Hunt should spend much of the year at the AHL level.