Matt Hunwick--Defenseman
DOB: May 21, 1995 (age, 34)
Draft: 2004, seventh round (224th-overall,) BOS
How acquired: Trade with Pittsburgh, June 27, 2018
Last contract signed: July 1, 2017; 3yr./$6.75 million
Final year of contract: 2019-20
2018-19 Stats: 14 games | 0 goals | 2 assists | 2 points | -7 |15:41 ATOI
Career Stats: 535 games | 25 goals | 94 assists | 119 points | -19 | 18:15 ATOI
What we wrote preseason: Acquired from the Penguins along with Sheary, Hunwick suffered a neck injury in camp that have some thinking that it might be career threatening for the 33 yr. old.
What we wrote mid-season: For a while there we weren't sure how long it would take for Hunwick to recover from a neck injury suffered this off season. Hunwick was acquired by Buffalo on June 27th (along with forward Conor Sheary) from the Pittsburgh Penguins for experienced depth on defense but the injury delayed his Sabres debut until December 16, a full 36 games into the season. At age 33 his time is slowly fading and we're not really sure what the team has in store for him at this point other than a depth role on a defense that's getting stronger as the year progresses.
Impressions on his play this year: The 34 yr. old Hunwick looked his age in the few games he played for Buffalo. Then again by the time he got into the lineup on a more consistent basis, Buffalo's defense disintegrated and the team was already looking to the off season so that didn't help much. At 34 yrs. old, if the neck injury he suffered wasn't enough for him to consider retirement, his deteriorating game might push him there.
Hunwick came over from Pittsburgh along with LW, Conor Sheary in a trade that sent a conditional fourth-rounder to the Penguins--if Sheary scored 20 goals or hit 40 points, which he did not, or if Hunwick was traded before the 2019 NHL Draft, that 2019 4th would turn into a 2019 3rd. It looks as if the Sabres will retain their third-rounder this year.
How Hunwick fits moving forward is to be determined, but the left-handed defenseman may end up sticking around as the Sabres may be a little light on the blueline to start next season. Zach Bogosian underwent hip surgery and could be in the lineup when the season starts and Lawrence Pilut had shoulder surgery last month with an expected recovery time of 5-6 months. Those two injuries could open a roster spot for him early in the year.
Questions moving forward: Will he be around in October? How much does he have left in the tank?
Contract info via CapFriendly, stats via sabres.com and hockey reference.com.
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