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.

[ColoradoWildFan]

I don't know the Columbus roster that well, but can somebody explain to me why they put him on waivers? Does he just fit our system or are they bad at evaluation? What am I missing? 

[Pewterschmidt]

4 minutes ago, ColoradoWildFan said:

I don't know the Columbus roster that well, but can somebody explain to me why they put him on waivers? Does he just fit our system or are they bad at evaluation? What am I missing? 

I think they just didn’t have room for him at the time

[FredJohnson]

Yes, please!

[FredJohnson]

3 hours ago, MNCountryLife said:

We just need to be patient.

Can Silly Billy be patient?

[Sam]

5 hours ago, raithis said:

Merrill looked better than him

Who is this “Merrill” you speak of?

[Enforceror]

37 minutes ago, Sam said:

Who is this “Merrill” you speak of?

Future hall of famer. Surprised you didn't know.

[Fezig]

I'd like to see him, Jiricek, a folding chair...anything to come in and take some minutes from Hughes and Faber so they won't be gassed by the time the playoffs come around. 

[mnfaninnc]

The thing about Hunt is he's a very nice, comfortable, cup of hot chocolate for every partner he's played with this season. Brodin hasn't been paired with Jiricek, but Hunt was the only one who calmed him down. 

Hunt has also made some nice passes when he's played, so he has some offense to him. I don't think prioritizing Hunt over Jiricek is the answer though, neither should be prioritized over the other.

Due to the waiver claim rules, Hunt is up with the big club for the whole season. Jiricek still can be sent down to Iowa for free. That's the way the rest of the season goes with these guys, Hunt will be up, Jiricek will be the latest participant in the I-35 Expressway. 

As next season comes around, I think there is definitely a place for Hunt on the team. I know there's been speculation around resigning Bogosian, but with Hunt in there for a bit less, I think we're doing fine. It should help us in negotiations with Bogosian anyway. 

Hunt is better than a 7th D. But, does Hunt make Middleton expendable? Possibly, since he can move up and down on the pairings and is significantly cheaper than Midsy.