The Pittsburgh Penguins have acquired center Daniel Winnik from the Toronto Maple Leafs, general manager Jim Rutherford announced on Wednesday afternoon.
Winnik is a veteran of 550 NHL games, and 56 goals, 120 assists, and 249 penalty minutes to his name. In 60 games with the Maple Leafs in 2014-15, he has scored seven goals and recorded 19 assists.
Winnik, 29, is in his eighth NHL season. The native of Toronto, Ontario was originally drafted by the Phoenix Coyotes in the ninth round of the 2004 Entry Draft out of the University of New Hampshire.
The 6’2”, 210-pound centerman will be upgrade for the Penguins bottom-six. He is on a contract that will earn him $1.3 million this season and will be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end.
In exchange for Winnik, the Maple Leafs acquired Penguins fourth-liner Zach Sill. Sill, 26, was originally signed by the Penguins organization as a minor-league free agent in 2009. In 62 career games, all with the Penguins, he has one goal, two assists, and 72 penalty minutes. His 60 penalty minutes in 2014-15 were third on the team. Sill is also scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
The Maple Leafs will also receive the Penguins’ fourth-round draft pick in 2015 and the Penguins’ second-round draft pick in 2016. The Penguins have now traded their first, third, and fourth-round draft choices in the 2015 NHL draft.
Update 3:55 p.m.: According to several media reports, the Toronto Maple Leafs will retain half of Winnik’s salary for the remainder of the 2014-15 season.
Photo credit: NHL
