Article: The Wild Should Start Prioritizing Daemon Hunt Over David Jiricek Right Now

[Eric Forga]

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[Pewterschmidt]

[Fortis]

 YES. Hunt is a legit NHLer. He doesn’t make mistakes, I would love to see what kind of offense he can produce on the 2nd pairing. Jiricek makes mistakes almost every shift…he needs to calm down and learn his role. He is not the AHL equivalent of Quinn Hughes, however He *CAN* can be the replacement for Brodin. Solid, big, shutdown Defensemen with a knack for getting shots through 

[MNCountryLife]

Hunt is 23 while Jiricek is 22.  Yes, I do think a year matters for most players.  Hunt is the better option right now.  Hunt is also 6'1'' and 200 pounds.  A decent size.  Jiricek is bigger and likely won't be ready until he is 24.  We just need to be patient.

[raithis]

I've been pleasantly surprised at Hunt's play this year.  He's definitely taken a step forward from last year.  While last year he had moments where Merrill looked better than him, this year he has proven to be the better player.  He's still young and learning, but the way he can be plugged in for most situations and typically not miss a beat makes him a good depth defender who maybe someday displaces one of the other bottom 4 if he keeps developing. 

I think the Wild would be wise to re-sign him.