Leaf of the Day: Volume 8 - Matt Hunwick

By Alex Hobson


Free Agent Frenzy 2015 was a very busy day for the Leafs organization. President Brendan Shanahan stated that the Leafs would not be very busy that day, which is almost the exact opposite of what really happened. The biggest move, without question, was the Phil Kessel trade, but there were still a couple of notable signings. The first Leafs signing of the day was a player by the name of Matt Hunwick. This was the first of many small one year contracts that the Leafs would have options with moving forward, and while the name may not be familiar to many, Hunwick could still prove to be a vaulable addition. Let's find out how.

Born in Warren, Michigan, Hunwick began his NHL career after being drafted in the seventh round of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft by the Boston Bruins. Over the next 10 years, Hunwick would spend time with the Bruins, Colorado Avalanche, and most recently, the New York Rangers. The Leafs have loads of defensemen to work with coming into this season, with Hunwick being among the 10 or so that are ready for a full time NHL job. Despite not being as big as other defensemen, Hunwick is still very good defensively and if he has a strong campaign with the Leafs in 2015-16, they, as stated earlier, have options with him. He's a good possesion player and finished last season with a plus-minus of +17, something the Leafs have lacked for the last couple of years.

STATUS: RENTAL

Like I said earlier, Hunwick was signed to a very cheap contract of $2.4 million over two years, with an AAV of $1.2 million. Considering Hunwick's contract does not expire until 2017, there's a larger chance that the team stays put with Hunwick for an extra year, but it's still entirely likely that they flip him for a draft pick or prospect at the trade deadline.

2015-16 ROLE: BOTTOM PAIRING DEFENSEMAN

The reason behind this prediction is that while the Leafs will not be in the race for the playoffs this year, they will still want to boost Hunwick's value so teams will be interested come trade deadline time. He also posts better numbers than players by the likes of Roman Polak and Stephane Robidas, so it would make more sense for the Leafs to play him rather than to sign him, only to bench him.

What do you think of Hunwick, Leafs fans? Could we get something in return for him come the deadline? Leave your thoughts below.