Penguins get bottom-six help with acquisition of Daniel Winnik

Penguins get bottom-six help with acquisition of Daniel Winnik

The Pittsburgh Penguins continued to stock up for a Stanley Cup run by acquiring Daniel Winnik from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for center Zach Sill, a fourth-round pick in 2015 and a second-round pick in 2016.

Toronto retains half of Winnik’s salary, which is great news for the cap-strapped Penguins.

From the Penguins:

Winnik, 29, has seven goals and 25 points in 58 games with Toronto this year. He led the team with a plus-15, which will also place first among Pittsburgh forwards and second overall on the club.

The 6-foot-2, 207-pound Winnik led all Toronto forwards with 50 blocked shots and ranked third with 99 hits this year. His 3:27 average shorthanded minutes per game is the highest total among all NHL forwards.

The Penguins have been looking to upgrade their bottom six and do so in one move. Out goes Sill, who recorded three points and 60 penalty minutes while averaging 8:17 of ice time through 42 games with Pittsburgh, and was also a drag on possession.

In comes Winnik, set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, who provides offensive depth, can help on the penalty kill and is a player who drives possession, as his HERO chart on Own the Puck notes. General manager Jim Rutherford has been after the forward for at least a month now.

When Winnik thinks Penguins, what comes to mind first?

“Chance to win the Stanley Cup,” he told TSN radio after the news broke. “You got Crosby and Malkin. I think we got a chance every single year. I’m looking forward to help that cause.”

From the tank to a potential Cup run, it's a good day for Daniel Winnik.

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Sean Leahy is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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