Grant Hutton Set to Test Market; RD Void Grows Larger

Some late-night news for you, New York Islanders fans. Industry sources confirmed to me that Grant Hutton will hit the free-agent market tomorrow, likely ending his time with the organization.

Hutton, 29, signed as an undrafted college free agent after captaining Miami (Ohio) at the end of the 2018-19 season. He became an alternate captain for Bridgeport this past season, serving as a true leader down in the AHL. Hutton played 256 games for Bridgeport in his time in New York, good for the 13th-most in franchise history.

Hutton only played 29 AHL games this past season, thanks to multiple call-ups and a late-season upper-body injury that took away almost the entirety of his final two months of the year. During those call-ups, he played 13 NHL games and showed well for himself as a quality depth option.

Hutton played 31 NHL games over the past four seasons for New York, scoring once and adding two assists. Hutton could be a real asset to another team looking for an AHL leader or even a seventh defenseman, as his shutdown abilities showed multiple times in New York.

The specific reason(s) for Hutton’s departure remain unclear, but it seems new Islanders’ GM Mathieu Darche is looking to reboot Bridgeport in multiple ways.

Earlier today, the organization confirmed that Samuel Bolduc, Aidan Fulp, & Scott Perunovich would not receive qualifying offers.

Bolduc departs after 211 AHL games and 52 NHL games, while Fulp departs after an injury-riddled season.

The Islanders now are down to just four right-shot defensemen in the entire organization, and it could be as few as three if Tony DeAngelo is not re-signed.