The Golden Knights have traded defenseman Brad Hunt along with a 2019 sixth-round draft pick to the Wild in exchange for a conditional 2019 fifth-round pick.
Vegas will receive the better pick between Minnesota’s fifth-round pick and a fifth-round pick the Wild previously acquired from the Washington Capitals.
Hunt, 30, played in 58 games with the Golden Knights over the last two seasons, recording five goals and 25 points, including seven points in 13 games this year. Sixteen of those 25 points came on the man advantage, as Hunt was often a key contributor to Vegas’ power play when he was in the lineup.
He finished his Vegas tenure with a Corsi For percentage of 52.87 as well as a points-per-60 rate of 1.59, which led all Vegas defensemen.
The 5-foot-9, 187-pound rearguard has spent most of this season as a healthy scratch after setting career highs in goals (3), assists (15), points (18) and power-play points (12) in Vegas’ inaugural campaign.
However, he remained an important influence in the locker room even when he was not in the lineup, including throughout Vegas’ historic Stanley Cup Final run.
Vegas signed Hunt as a free agent in 2017. He had one year remaining on his two-year deal with an AAV of $650,000.
The Maple Ridge, B.C. native has 34 points in 91 career NHL games with the Oilers, Blues, Predators and Knights.
The trade was announced shortly after the Wild handed the Knights a 4-2 loss at T-Mobile Arena.
How do you feel about the move?
| Good stuff | 35 |
| Don’t love it, don’t hate it | 96 |
| Vegas didn’t give him enough of a chance | 55 |
| What is GMGM doing? | 11 |