Well, it didn’t take long for the Toronto Maple Leafs to dip their toes into the free agent frenzy.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed defenseman Matt Hunwick to a two-year deal with a cap hit of $1.2 million hit. That is twice the cap hit he carried last season.
TOR signs Matt Hunwick, two year deal, $1.2M AAV.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) July 1, 2015
Hunwick started his career as a Boston Bruin in 2007, playing three and a half seasons with the team before being traded to the Colorado Avalanche. He stayed in Colorado for another three and a half seasons until the end of the 2013-14 season. He played last season with the New York Rangers.
Now, Hunwick obviously won’t be an offensive force, judging by his numbers. However, with this quoted tweet from James Mirtle, it looks like he is one of those analytical darlings everyone speaks of nowadays.
Here's a huge reason Leafs were interested in Hunwick… https://t.co/L2oRu7JMXm
— James Mirtle (@mirtle) July 1, 2015
With this signing, the Leafs’ defensive group becomes even more muddled. On top of Hunwick, the Leafs have Dion Phaneuf, Morgan Rielly, Jake Gardiner, Roman Polak, Stephane Robidas, Martin Marincin and Tim Erixon. Add on top of that, Stuart Percy and Petter Granberg, and the Leafs look like they are going to make a move. Now obviously, the obvious name to be moved is Phaneuf but who really knows at this point, who really knows with all the craziness going in Toronto.
At this point, it looks like there will be quite the fight for spots on the Leafs defense. However, Hunwick is 30-years old so he does have the experience advantage over players like Marincin and Erixon. The defense battle will surely be one to watch in training camp.
Follow all of Wednesday’s free agent signings with The Hockey Writers’ Free Agent Tracker.
RELATED: Leafs’ Free Agent Possibilities
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