We’re inching closer to Monday afternoon’s roster deadline for National Hockey League clubs. As part of their cutdown process, the Calgary Flames placed forwards Dryden Hunt and Walker Duehr and defenceman Jarred Tinordi on waivers on Thursday, per Sportsnet’s Pat Steinberg.
A Calgary product, the 28-year-old Hunt is a left shot forward who can play either wing. He’s in the second year of a two year, two-way deal that he signed after a brief stint with the organization after being acquired at the 2023 trade deadline. Hunt spent time with the Flames and the American Hockey League’s Calgary Wranglers in 2023-24.
When he was with the Flames, he was a useful utility player used by head coach Ryan Huska to fill in gaps in the line-up – he even got top six minutes here and there when other wingers weren’t performing as Huska hoped. When he was with the Wranglers, Hunt was a reliable veteran that could provide minutes in any game situation. At the very least, if you need somebody to play a game at short notice or in a challenging situation, Hunt can provide those minutes.
The 26-year-old Duehr is the first-ever NHL player from the state of South Dakota, and we’ll suggest he’s the best player ever produced by that great state. This right-shot winger burst onto the NHL scene a couple years ago, originally a college free agent signing that really impressed in the AHL and earned call-ups to the big club. He impressed enough with the big club that he earned a two year, one-way NHL deal… and his game took a bit of a step back in year one, with Duehr a spectator for about half the season.
As with Hunt, Duehr’s an older forward that understands the pro game and can provide valuable minutes in the AHL. And you never know, we may not have seen the last of Duehr’s NHL impacts. When he’s using his speed and size, he’s a really useful player.
The 32-year-old Tinordi is a left shot defender who spent last season with the Chicago Blackhawks. At the NHL level, he’s probably a third pairing defender or an extra body that can provide reliable spot duty. At the AHL level, he could be a really valuable veteran presence on a really inexperienced blueline group, and a nice shutdown and physical compliment to some younger, up-tempo offensive defenders in the system.
Should Hunt, Duehr and Tinordi clear waivers on Friday, they would be eligible for assignment to the AHL. As it stands, the Flames have 30 players on their camp roster – three goaltenders, nine defencemen and 18 forwards.
