Wild Activate Daemon Hunt, Assign David Jiricek
The Minnesota Wild announced earlier today that Daemon Hunt has been activated from injured reserve, while David Jiříček has been re-assigned to AHL Iowa in a corresponding transaction. Hunt is expected to return to the lineup tonight on the third pair alongside Jacob Middleton.
The defenseman has been out since mid-December due to an undisclosed injury. Claimed off waivers from Columbus in October, today’s transaction proves to be a bit ironic as Hunt was traded by Minnesota to Columbus in exchange for Jiříček last year alongside several draft picks.
Unable to make his mark as a Blue Jacket after the trade, Hunt quickly found his way back to the team that chose him in the third round of the 2020 draft. With two points in 12 games on the season, Hunt has some puck moving ability, untapped so far at the NHL level, but at age 23, he figures to be a steady third pair defender, still with just 25 games under his belt.
Jiříček, thought to have elite upside coming out of the 2022 draft, where he was selected sixth overall by Columbus, has been scoreless in 18 games with the Wild this season. Taking a swing on the Czech righty seemed to be worth a gamble, especially as Minnesota promptly snatched back the player they’d given up for him, but at some point Jiříček will need to show something to warrant a future in the NHL. A restricted free agent at season’s end, Jiříček’s play with Iowa has not inspired much confidence either, with 10 points in 40 games across the last two seasons. With offense hard to come by, the 6’4″ Jiříček has also struggled in his own end, ineffective even in smaller sheltered roles on Minnesota, a team with high ambitions.
Still just 22, the Wild are not necessarily in any rush with him, but as a contender with limited spots on their back end going into the future, Jiříček may be a name worth monitoring this spring in another deal.
For now, Hunt will rejoin the high flying Wild against Seattle tonight, while Jiříček will try to help the bottom-ranked Iowa Wild get on track, vying for another shot in the NHL.
Central Notes: Hartman, Hunt, Lyubushkin, Fuder
Despite positioning themselves as buyers for the upcoming deadline season, the Minnesota Wild have reportedly looked to move a veteran off the roster to clear out additional cap space. According to a recent article from Anthony Di Marco of the Daily Faceoff, the Wild reportedly attempted to send Ryan Hartman to the Philadelphia Flyers before acquiring defenseman Quinn Hughes.
If Minnesota wants to move out salary, Hartman is likely the easiest choice. Every other notable forward on the roster has no-movement protection in their contracts, whereas Hartman only has a 15-team no-trade list. Since the Wild reached out to Philadelphia first, it’s safe to assume that the Flyers aren’t on that list. He has some experience in Philadelphia, scoring two goals and six points in 19 games for the Flyers back in the 2018-19 season.
Aside from the mild trade protection, there’s no questioning why the Wild are looking to move out Hartman. Even when healthy, he hasn’t come close to the production he had in Minnesota from 2021 to 2024. Over the last two years, the 34-year-old veteran has scored 20 goals and 41 points in 103 games, which is less than he had during the 2023-24 season alone.
Other notes from the Central Division:
- Staying in Minnesota, the team could return to a fully healthy lineup on its upcoming road trip. According to Michael Russo of The Athletic, defenseman Daemon Hunt, the lone remaining player on the team’s injured reserve, is expected to return relatively soon. Hunt has missed Minnesota’s last five games with an undisclosed injury. Fortunately, he’ll have plenty of time to return on the road trip as it will last seven games and 13 days.
- The Dallas Stars will be somewhat shorthanded in their matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks tonight. Earlier today, team reporter Brien Rea shared that defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin would be out of the lineup due to an illness. It’ll be the 12th game that Lyubushkin has missed this season. The eight-year veteran has registered one goal and seven points in 27 games for the Stars across the 2025-26 campaign.
- In the Western Hockey League, one of the Stars’ forward prospects was included in a trade this afternoon. According to a league announcement, the third-place Edmonton Oil Kings have acquired forward Jaxon Fuder from the Red Reed Rebels for Poul Andersen, Boris Sigachev, Brock Stevenson, and a conditional 2027 fourth-round pick. Fuder had scored seven goals and 24 points in 27 games for the Rebels before the trade.
Wild Activate Four Players, Place Two On IR
The Wild have been quite active when it comes to roster moves today. Michael Russo of The Athletic relays (Twitter link) that defensemen Jonas Brodin and Jacob Middleton along with forwards Mats Zuccarello and Vinnie Hinostroza have all been activated off injured reserve. In corresponding moves, defenseman Zach Bogosian and Daemon Hunt were both moved to IR.
Brodin has missed a little more than a week with a lower-body injury. The 32-year-old has been his usual reliable self defensively for Minnesota this season, sitting second on the team in blocked shots with 66 while being one of their most-used penalty killers. Through 30 outings, he has three goals and six assists and is logging over 22 minutes per game of ice time for the sixth straight year. With them facing Edmonton’s strong attack this afternoon, his return to their shutdown pairing will certainly be a welcome one.
As for Middleton, he has missed the last couple of weeks with an upper-body issue. After averaging nearly a career-high 22 minutes per game last season, his role has been more limited this year. Through 28 games, the 29-year-old has six assists along with 43 blocks and 42 hits while playing 18:08 per night, slotting in fifth among Minnesota’s defenders. He also takes a regular turn on their penalty kill and should give that unit a boost as well.
Zuccarello has also missed the last couple of weeks with an upper-body injury but that’s not the only time he has been on the shelf this season. As a result, the 38-year-old has been limited to just 15 games so far. However, Zuccarello has been productive in those outings, picking up two goals and ten assists in a little under 18 minutes per night of playing time. He should slot back into a top-six role and deepen Minnesota’s offensive depth.
Hinostroza, meanwhile, had missed the last month with a lower-body issue. Before being sidelined, he had been a regular in the bottom six for the Wild although offensive production was hard to come by as he has just two goals and three assists in 22 games thus far. While Hinostroza has spent a lot of this season on the wing, he is a natural center and with their depth down the middle taking a hit with last week’s trade that saw Marco Rossi go to Vancouver, having another veteran who can play down the middle when needed will help.
As for those landing on IR, Bogosian has missed the last two games with a lower-body injury. If the placement is backdated to December 14th (the day he was injured), he technically would be eligible to be activated as soon as Sunday. Having said that, they have an open roster spot after these moves so if Bogosian was that close to returning, they likely wouldn’t have placed him on IR in the first place. An 18-year NHL veteran, Bogosian has had a fairly limited role when he has been in the lineup this season, logging around 15 minutes per game of ice time while chipping in with two points in 17 outings.
Lastly, Hunt has played sparingly this season, suiting up in just a dozen games, suffering an undisclosed injury in the last of those on Tuesday. The 23-year-old is waiver-eligible and it’s clear that Minnesota doesn’t want to risk putting him on the wire so he has often served as their reserve defender. Hunt has two assists and 18 blocks in a dozen outings but is averaging just 12:26 per night. There is no word on how long he or Bogosian will be out.
Waivers: 10/3/25
Twelve new names are on Friday’s waiver list, Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports relays. Out of the 22 names waived yesterday, three were claimed: Daemon Hunt heads from Columbus to Minnesota, Cole Schwindt from Vegas to Florida, and Ilya Solovyov from Calgary to Colorado.
Today’s placements are as follows:
Boston Bruins
F Patrick Brown
D Michael Callahan
F Georgii Merkulov
D Victor Söderström
F Riley Tufte
Carolina Hurricanes
Tampa Bay Lightning
Toronto Maple Leafs
F David Kämpf
D William Villeneuve
Utah Mammoth
Vancouver Canucks
Washington Capitals
Wild Claim Daemon Hunt, Release Jack Johnson
The Wild have claimed defenseman Daemon Hunt off waivers from the Blue Jackets, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports. The club also released Jack Johnson from his professional tryout in a corresponding move and summoned the previously waived Matt Kiersted from AHL Iowa, although that’s a short-term move to give him more preseason action before being returned to the minors.
Today’s move marks a reunion between Hunt and the Wild, who drafted him in the third round of the 2020 draft. The 23-year-old has only ever suited up for Minnesota in the NHL, but he only played one game for them last year before he was included in the early-season trade that saw the Wild acquire David Jiricek from Columbus. This is his first year requiring waivers to head to the minors, where he spent the vast majority of last season.
Hunt, a 6’1″, 201-lb lefty, will begin his fourth professional campaign in a more familiar environment. Drafted as a true two-way defender, his results in AHL Cleveland after moving to the Blue Jackets organization weren’t what Columbus hoped for. He only managed a 2-12–14 scoring line with a -8 rating in 48 appearances after the trade. That offensive output was down significantly from what Hunt had in the Wild organization with Iowa the year prior, logging 29 points in 51 games on their blue line.
In his 13 prior NHL appearances with Minnesota, Hunt had one assist and a -1 rating while averaging a minuscule 11:14 per game. His possession numbers were good in those limited, albeit sheltered minutes, controlling 54.6% of shot attempts and 57.1% of expected goals at even strength.
As such, he’s now slated for an opening-night job with the Wild. With Johnson released, Hunt is one of seven healthy defenders remaining in Wild camp, not counting Kiersted. Jonas Brodin has long been expected to start the year on injured reserve after an offseason upper-body surgery, and that hasn’t changed.
Johnson, 38, will now look elsewhere to continue his career. The veteran of 19 NHL seasons and 1,228 games was reduced to a No. 7/8 job on the Blue Jackets’ depth chart last year, recording six assists and a -13 rating in 41 games. With that stat line as his platform, interest will be limited.
Waivers: 10/2/25
There are 22 new names on the waiver wire today, PuckPedia reports. Everyone on the wire yesterday passed through aside from goaltender Pheonix Copley, who’s heading to the Lightning from the Kings.
Calgary Flames
F Rory Kerins
G Ivan Prosvetov
D Ilya Solovyov
Columbus Blue Jackets
Edmonton Oilers
Pittsburgh Penguins
D Sebastian Aho
F Danton Heinen
D Philip Kemp
F Joona Koppanen
G Filip Larsson
F Valtteri Puustinen
Seattle Kraken
F Ben Meyers
F Mitchell Stephens
Utah Mammoth
F Ben McCartney
D Scott Perunovich
Vancouver Canucks
Vegas Golden Knights
D Dylan Coghlan
F Tanner Laczynski
F Raphael Lavoie
D Jaycob Megna
F Cole Schwindt
Heinen, Kerins, and Kravtsov jump out as the most notable skaters from the group. Heinen is one of the first veteran surprises to reach the wire this fall. The pending UFA costs $2.25MM against the cap and was a speculative trade candidate as the rebuilding Penguins look to shed their veterans on expiring deals. If he clears, he’ll still count for $1.1MM against Pittsburgh’s cap. It’s not as if he’s coming off a catastrophic 2024-25 season. He made 79 appearances split between the Canucks and Penguins, recording a 9-20–29 scoring line while averaging 13:27 per game. Those are all a few ticks below his career averages, but still serviceable bottom-six production for a reasonable price. He may not fit into the Penguins’ plans, but it wouldn’t be too surprising to see him claimed despite his cap impact.
Kerins has been a high-ceiling name in the Flames’ system for the past couple of years with quite strong AHL showings. He got his first taste of NHL action last year in a five-game call-up, looking like he belonged with four assists and a +3 rating while averaging 12:14 per game. The 5’10” pivot isn’t a natural fit in a fourth-line role, though, and Calgary doesn’t have an open spot for him in its top nine. He’s a pending RFA without arbitration rights on a two-way deal with a league minimum cap hit – prime conditions for a claim – and had 33 goals and 61 points in 63 AHL games last year.
Kravtsov not making it to the final couple of days of camp is a surprise. Selected No. 9 overall in 2018, he was on the Canucks’ reserve list after he departed the NHL to return to Russia in 2023. He had a great showing for Traktor Chelyabinsk in the Kontinental Hockey League last year, leading the team with 27 goals in 66 games while adding 31 assists for 58 points. That was enough to generate mutual interest between the Canucks and Kravtsov to resume their relationship, and he signed a one-year, two-way deal in August. He’s due to be a Group VI unrestricted free agent next summer if he doesn’t hit 16 NHL games this year.
As for goalie-needy teams, Prosvetov might warrant some consideration after being passed over for Calgary’s backup job in favor of Devin Cooley. The 26-year-old has 24 NHL starts under his belt and was excellent in the KHL last year, managing a .920 SV% and 2.32 GAA in 38 games for CSKA Moscow.
Blue Jackets Re-Sign Daemon Hunt To Two-Way Deal
The Blue Jackets have signed defenseman Daemon Hunt to a two-way deal for 2025-26, per a team announcement. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Hunt, 23, was their last remaining unsigned restricted free agent. The Jackets acquired the lefty from the Wild in the David Jiricek trade last November, but he didn’t see any NHL ice for them after the swap.
Instead, the 2020 third-round pick finished the season with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters, where he recorded a 2-12–14 scoring line in 48 games with a -8 rating. That marked a step back from his offensive production with Minnesota’s affiliate, the Iowa Wild, in 2023-24, when he produced over half a point per game with 29 in 51 contests.
Near the end of his time with the Wild, Hunt had worked his way up to the No. 8-9 range on Minnesota’s defensive depth chart. He has 13 NHL appearances under his belt, 12 of which came in 2023-24. The Manitoba native played sparingly when dressed, though, recording one assist and averaging only 11:14 per game. He still managed to average two shot attempts per game and posted strong possession numbers in his limited deployment (54.6 CF%, 57.1 xGF% at even strength).
The Blue Jackets’ defense returns unchanged from last season aside from the departure of veteran Jack Johnson, meaning there’s little chance for Hunt to work his way into an opening-night job. Nonetheless, he and prospect Stanislav Svozil are their clear top recall options from Cleveland should they need help on the left side of the blue line throughout the year. Hunt will need to clear waivers if the Jackets want to assign him to Cleveland, though, something he hasn’t had to do before.
Hunt will be a restricted free agent again next summer. The Jackets now have 43 players under contract for 2025-26.
Metro Notes: Pyyhtia, Hunt, Lindstrom, Ritchie
Outside of a pending trade request from winger Yegor Chinakhov, the Columbus Blue Jackets have already completed most of their heavy lifting this offseason. Still, on the fringes of their summer to-do list, restricted free agents Mikael Pyyhtia and Daemon Hunt are without contracts for the upcoming season.
According to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic, there is zero concern from the organization that deals won’t get completed with either player. Neither Pyyhtia nor Hunt has arbitration rights, so there’s no real fear of leaving them unsigned through August.
Furthermore, there’s little chance either player will be a huge factor for the Blue Jackets next season, anyway. Pyyhtia underwent a lengthy 47-game tryout with the team last season, but spent the second half of the year in the AHL after recording only four goals and seven points. Meanwhile, Hunt’s only game last season came with the Minnesota Wild before being moved in the David Jiříček trade.
Other notes from the Metro Division:
- Staying in Columbus, the fourth-overall pick of the 2024 NHL Draft, Cayden Lindstrom, expressed his appreciation for the organization last season despite not registering a game. In an interview with Craig Merz of NHL.com, Lindstrom spoke about staying in Columbus around the team after his back surgery last season, saying, “I took so much and learned so much from all the older guys and they gave me so many pointers and cues that I’ll remember forever.” Lindstrom will play for the NCAA’s Michigan State University Spartans next season.
- Moving east in the Metro Division, New York Islanders youngster Calum Ritchie is hoping to make the team’s opening night roster out of training camp. In a recent interview with Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News, Ritchie said, “I’m going to come in here and work as hard as I can to show them what I’ve got.” Ritchie was one of the main pieces acquired by the Islanders last offseason from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for center Brock Nelson. The 27th overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft scored 15 goals and 70 points in 47 games for the OHL’s Oshawa Generals last season.
West Notes: Avalanche, Wild, Ehlers
The Colorado Avalanche have assigned forwards Ivan Ivan, Nikita Prishchepov, and Chris Wagner to the minor leagues in what appears to be a paper transaction. The move will help Colorado accrue morsels of salary cap before their next game on Tuesday. Injuries have continued to pile up in Colorado, pushing all three players into Saturday’s loss to Edmonton.
Ivan stamped his spot on the third line with a two-goal game last week, but he hasn’t managed any more scoring in the three games since. Still, he’s received far more attention than Wagner and Prishchepov, who respectively recorded a measly five and six minutes of ice time in Colorado’s last game. The trio make up the bulk of Colorado’s bottom-six ice time, and the Avalanche will now take advantage of their waiver exemption status to bank some daily cap space.
In other Western Conference notes:
- Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin reportedly did not want to include defenseman Daemon Hunt in the trade package the was used to pluck David Jiricek from the Columbus Blue Jackets yesterday (as per Dylan Loucks of The Hockey News). The Wild sent Hunt and four draft picks to Columbus to acquire Jiricek and a fifth-round pick, and Guerin told the media that he hated including Hunt in the deal but felt that the price he paid to acquire the former sixth-overall pick was fair. The Wild paid a heavy price to acquire the 21-year-old Jiricek, but if he develops into the defenseman the Wild expect, he and current Wild defender Brock Faber will give the team a solid core to build around for years to come.
- Winnipeg Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers missed today’s game against the Dallas Stars and is day-to-day with a lower-body injury (as per Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press). Jets head coach Scott Arniel didn’t have much in the way of an update after today’s game but did tell the media that Ehlers will see the team doctors in Winnipeg tomorrow. Ehlers is in the final season of a seven-year $42MM contract and will become an unrestricted free agent next July. The 28-year-old has had a fantastic start to the season with nine goals and 16 assists in 24 games.
Minnesota Wild Acquire David Jiříček From Columbus
According to a team announcement, the Minnesota Wild have acquired defensive prospect David Jiříček and a 2025 fifth-round pick from the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Wild organization is sending back defenseman Daemon Hunt, a conditional 2025 first-round pick, Colorado’s 2026 third-round pick, Toronto’s 2026 fourth-round pick, and a 2027 second-round pick to Columbus.
It’s been a long time coming for the former sixth-overall pick of the 2022 NHL Draft. Jiříček will join the second organization of his very young career after several inconsistent years with the Blue Jackets. After scoring five goals and 11 points in 29 games for Czechia’s HC Plzeň, Jiříček was ranked as the fourth-best European skater and second-best defenseman by NHL Central Scouting before the 2022 NHL Draft.
Jiříček immediately came to the Blue Jackets organization upon being drafted, suiting up in 55 games for the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters. He impressed with six goals and 38 points in his rookie campaign in the AHL but unfortunately missed out on the league’s All-Rookie Team. Arguably Jiříček’s most impressive performance of the season came in the middle of the year during the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship.
He scored three goals and seven points in seven games for Team Czechia while posting a +10 rating throughout the tournament. He was voted the best defenseman by the directorate and helped guide Czechia to the country’s first silver medal since 1985 when they shared a country with Slovakia.
Jiříček managed to debut in the NHL in the 2022-23 season but went scoreless over a brief four-game stretch. The following season allowed Jiříček his largest opportunity to make an impact with the Blue Jackets.
He scored one goal and 10 points over 43 games in Columbus last year. The organization kept him incredibly sheltered as the young defenseman only averaged 14:36 of ice time per game. Still, he showed flashes of being an elite two-way defenseman with a 92.4% on-ice save percentage in all situations which was especially good considering the Blue Jackets finished 31st in the NHL in goals-against per game. 
Still, infrequent demotions and recalls by Columbus throughout the regular season prohibited Jiříček from gaining any traction for the Blue Jackets or Monsters. He finished the 2023-24 AHL season with seven goals and 19 assists in 29 games for Cleveland with another three goals and 11 points in 14 postseason contests.
The beginning of the 2024-25 season likely put the nail in the coffin for Jiříček’s future in Columbus. He cracked the team’s roster out of training camp but was hardly used by new head coach Dean Evason. He only suited up in six of the Blue Jackets’ first 18 games before being reassigned to the AHL on November 20th. His average ice time slipped even further with Jiříček only averaging 11:12 of ice time.
Jiříček will now join a Minnesota defense that projects to be one of the best in the league in a few years. The organization already deploys defensemen Brock Faber and Jared Spurgeon on the right side of the defense. Things look equally as impressive on the left side of the blue line with Jonas Brodin and recent draft pick Zeev Buium also projected in long-term roles.
The Wild’s already solid defense has helped them to a 15-4-4 record to start the 2024-25 NHL season making this year’s first-round pick expendable. Minnesota announced that the conditions on the first-round pick include top-five protection. The inclusion of a first-round pick was likely a bare minimum for the Blue Jackets organization despite this one likely falling outside of the lottery. The other three draft draft selections heading to Columbus give the organization eight for the 2026 NHL Draft and eight for the 2027 NHL Draft.
Hunt, reportedly the final part of the deal, is in a similar situation, albeit a lower profile, to that of Jiříček. He’ll be familiar with Evason after having played a handful of games for him last season but didn’t have any legitimate pathway to the NHL in Minnesota. He had been enjoying a quietly productive season with the AHL’s Iowa Wild tallying four assists in nine games.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report the Wild were finalizing a deal for Jiříček.
TSN’s Pierre LeBrun was the first to report Hunt’s inclusion in the deal.
Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli was the first to report a majority of the trade package.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.