Daemon Hunt isn’t going anywhere. The Minnesota Wild locked up the 24-year-old defenseman to a one-year, $900,000 contract for the 2026-27 season, the team confirmed Sunday. The deal came together just hours before Hunt had to decide whether to file for salary arbitration.
Hunt was coming off a one-year, $775,000 restricted free agent deal he signed back in August 2025. According to PuckPedia, if he plays at least 35 NHL games next season, he stays a restricted free agent when the contract expires in July 2027. Fall short of that mark and he’d become a Group 6 unrestricted free agent — assuming he meets the NHL’s age and pro experience thresholds.
The Brandon, Manitoba native set career highs with Minnesota last season: six assists, six penalty minutes and 43 blocked shots across 34 games. That was after the Wild claimed him off waivers from the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 3, 2025. Over parts of three NHL seasons in Minnesota (2023-26), the 6-foot-1, 198-pound blueliner has seven assists, six penalty minutes and 62 blocked shots in 45 career games.
Depth role opens up on the blue line
Hunt also spent time in the AHL with the Cleveland Monsters during the 2025-26 season. He played 48 games there, putting up two goals and 12 assists for 14 points. Over five AHL seasons between the Iowa Wild and Cleveland, he’s got 59 points (eight goals, 51 assists), 64 penalty minutes and 224 shots in 173 games. Back in 2023-24 with Iowa, he ranked third on the team with 26 assists and fifth in scoring with 29 points.
The Wild picked Hunt in the third round of the 2020 NHL Draft. Before turning pro, he put up 94 points (33 goals, 61 assists) and 81 penalty minutes in 163 WHL games with the Moose Jaw Warriors. He was team captain there his final two seasons from 2020-22.
With Jake Middleton traded to the Calgary Flames, Hunt has a real shot at competing for a bigger role on Minnesota’s blue line next season. It’s not a guarantee, but the door is open.
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