Dryden Hunt keeps hanging onto a Rangers roster spot

Dryden Hunt knows exactly where he stands with the Rangers. He doesn’t need anyone to tell him that he is the last man on the roster.

“I've played hockey long enough, and kind of know the situation,’’ the 26-year-old forward said Friday night, after the Rangers had suffered their first loss of the season, dropping a 4-1 decision to the Winnipeg Jets in Canada Life Centre. “I think we all know the situation that I'm in. So I didn't need anybody to tell me, I guess.’’

Hunt scored the lone Rangers goal Friday, a gorgeous finish of a cross-ice pass by Vincent Trocheck where Hunt drove to the back post, controlled the puck with his skate, and lifted a shot over the shoulder of Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck to tie the game, 1-1, at 3:55 of the third period.

It was as pretty a finish as any legit sniper could conjure up, and it was a huge goal at the time, given how much Hellebuyck (40 saves) had stymied the Rangers. .

It looked like the breakthrough the Rangers needed  to turn the game around after they had fallen behind in the first period. Instead, Sam Gagner’s goal with 4:25 remaining put Winnipeg back in front, and a power play goal by Mark Scheifele (his second of the game) and an empty-netter by Kyle Connor doomed the Rangers.

“It was a big goal at that time,’’ Rangers coach Gerard Gallant said of Hunt’s tally. “Unfortunately for us, we made some bad mistakes after that and gave them two [late] goals.’’

Hunt’s goal was a nice reward for a player who has worked hard despite the odds being stacked against him throughout training camp. He had beaten high odds to make the team last year, and became a favorite of Gallant’s, ultimately playing in 76 games. He even got top-6 forward minutes, playing at times on the second line with Artemi Panarin and Ryan Strome.

But maintaining a spot on the roster this year, even with Gallant being a fan, was going to be difficult. With the Rangers tight against the salary cap, they were considering carrying only 13 forwards in order to maintain a little cap flexibility, and 2018 first round draft pick Vitali Kravtsov was a cinch to make the team because the Rangers weren’t going to expose him to waivers in order to send him to the minors. When tryout hopeful Jimmy Vesey scored a goal in the first preseason game and added two assists in the second, Hunt’s chances to make the team got even slimmer.

He may have gotten a reprieve when Sammy Blais suffered an injury in the final preseason game against the Islanders. That may have led to the Rangers carrying 14 forwards, and Hunt stuck. Then, Kravtsov got hurt in the season opener against Tampa Bay, and Hunt got into the lineup for the next two games. Scoring on Friday could help him stick around a while longer.

“Obviously, I was disappointed not getting in [the season opener], but when you get in, you’ve got to make the most of it, whether that's making the most of your shift, or when you get the opportunity to score, you score,’’ he said. “So that's what I tried to do.’’

By Colin Stephenson

colin.stephenson@newsday.comColinSNewsday

Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.