Blues lose Brad Hunt to rivaled Predators

The St. Louis Blues lost a talented defenseman Tuesday morning when the Nashville Predators claimed Brad Hunt off of waivers.

​Hunt, who was spending time with the Chicago Wolves of the AHL, has been phenomenal. He posted 9 goals and 20 assists in 23 games. Hunt was a prominent leader on the Wolves’ roster.

In addition to being able to score in the AHL, Hunt was quite familiar with the NHL’s difficulty. He recently played nine games with the Blues, scoring one goal and four assists, which is great to see from a 28 year old defenseman. He even fought for a four-game point streak from Dec. 9-15.

Hunt's ability to join the rush and assist the offense with great speed and strength was refreshing to watch, but his ability to help out the goaltender and tighten down defensively was more impressive. He's able to play both sides of the game extremely well.

A handful of the Blues’ problems are revolving defense, so losing Hunt is a big blow to their backend. He was a promising defenseman working his way into a regular position in the St. Louis Blues’ lineup. 

However, since Hunt was on the NHL roster for 30 days, he was required to be placed on waivers. Nashville claimed him.

Hunt will start his career with the Predators’ organization right away—the Preds immediately sent down forward Kevin Fiala to the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL, making room for Hunt on the roster.

If he earns a spot in Nashville’s lineup, Hunt's demeanor and hard-fought mentality will be a challenge for the Blues to go up against later in the season.

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John Aubert
@Johnaubert97