Avalanche adds depth defenseman Brad Hunt
The Avalanche on Friday signed depth defenseman Brad Hunt in free agency. Hunt, 33, agreed to a one-year contract worth $800,000, per CapFriendly.com.
The 5-foot-9, 177-pound Hunt has played in 241 career NHL games with the Oilers, Blues, Predators, Golden Knights, Wild and Canucks. He saw action in 50 games for Vancouver last season, producing 17 points (three goals).
Hunt was signed by Edmonton as an undrafted free agent out of Bemidji State in 2013.
Hunt is the likely replacement for free agent Jack Johnson, who began the playoffs as Colorado’s seventh defenseman but played in the final 13 games after Sam Girard sustained a broken sternum. Hunt adds depth along with Kurtis MacDermid and Jacob MacDonald, among others.
The Avs stand approximately $4 million under the $82.5 million salary cap and are presumably still trying to re-sign second-line center Nazem Kadri. However, Kadri would require a cap hit of more than $7 million so the club would have to trade a player to free up cap room.
