There was no “player to be named later” in the trade, roughly a year ago, that sent defenseman Daemon Hunt to Columbus as part of the package that brought defenseman David Jiricek to Minnesota. Yet here we are, fifty weeks later or so, with Hunt and Jiricek skating as defensive partners on the Wild’s blue line, in the latest example of the wacky things that can happen on the NHL’s transaction wire.
Hunt, who is 23 and lives in Calgary in the summers, played his fifth game for the Wild on Saturday versus Anaheim after spending all but one game last season in the AHL – most of that time with the Columbus minor league team, the Cleveland Monsters. He had one assist in four games coming into the matchup with the Ducks, and had made a favorable impression since cracking the Wild lineup following an October injury that has kept veteran defenseman Zach Bogosian on the shelf for the time being.
“He’s a player. He always has been. And I don’t think anyone here is surprised that he stepped in and has been doing what he’s doing,” Wild defenseman Brock Faber said after a recent practice. “He’s always so solid. He’s physically strong. He skates well, and he just makes right decision after right decision after right decision.”
Drafted by the Wild in the third round in 2020, Hunt had played 13 games at the NHL level for Minnesota when he was shipped to Columbus last year, along with three draft picks, to get Jiricek. He played 48 games for Cleveland last season, and went to training camp with the Blue Jackets looking to crack their lineup this season.
But on Oct. 3, after Columbus placed Hunt on waivers with the intent of sending him back to Cleveland, Wild general manager Bill Guerin stepped in and grabbed Hunt back, reuniting him with the only organization that had given Hunt an NHL opportunity. After spending much of October in the press box as a healthy scratch, Hunt has hit the ice with a determination to stick this time.
“It’s kind of rewarding. It feels like I’m more part of the team. And it feels really good to play in front of all the fans again,” Hunt said. “I’m happy with my performance. Just trying to get better every game.”
Part of that improvement has come from a growing chemistry that he and Jiricek have together on the ice when they have been paired. A month ago, the only thing they had in common was that they shared a line on a transaction sheet. Now there’s a relationship that works, once they get past the strangeness of having been traded for each other not too long ago.
“It’s actually fine. We got a good laugh about it,” Hunt said. “When I met (Jiricek’s) girlfriend, I was like, ‘I’m the guy he got traded for, and now we’re teammates.’ It’s quite the story.”
Briefly
The Wild did some shuffling between Des Moines and St. Paul on Saturday before facing the Ducks. Defenseman David Spacek, who had been called up to Minnesota on Nov. 10, was sent back to Iowa, while forwards Tyler Pitlick and Liam Ohgren were recalled to the NHL team. Spacek has yet to make his NHL debut. Pitlick has played nine games for the Wild this season without registering a point. Pitlick was ejected from his most recent NHL game — a 4-3 road loss to the Hurricanes on Nov. 6 — for an illegal hit to the head of a Carolina player. Ohgren was with the Wild for the first five games of the season and had been playing in Iowa since then. Ohgren is also looking for his first NHL point of the season.
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