The Toronto Maple Leafs have traded forward Daniel Winnik to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for forward Zach Sill, a 2nd round pick in 2016 & a 4th round pick in 2015. The Carolina Hurricanes have traded winger Jiri Tlusty to the Winnipeg Jets for a third-round pick in 2015 and a conditional sixth rounder.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: These deals happened within minutes of each other, giving this kind of a trade deadline day feel.
Penguins acquire Daniel Winnik.
The Leafs did okay with this return, landing an affordable checking-line center and a couple of picks for Winnik, who is eligible for UFA status this summer. The Penguins bring in that additional forward they’ve been seeking for some time. Winnik’s an experienced bottom-six forward who didn’t cost the Penguins any of their good young prospects. If he pans out with the Penguins over the rest of this season they could re-sign him if there’s enough cap space.
Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff makes a good depth addition with Tlusty, who plays a good two-way game and can contribute on the power play. He should help off-set the absence of injured forward Mathieu Perreault, who is one of their top scorers. It also doesn’t cost the Jets a second round pick, which was the anticipated going rate for a winger like Tlusty. Having received a third and a conditional sixth for Tlusty, Hurricanes GM Ron Francis will likely stick to his asking price of a first rounder and a top prospect for defenseman Andrej Sekera, who is attracting far more attention in the trade market.
It also helps that Toronto is picking up half of Winnik’s salary too in this deal. makes Daniel affordable and just under the cap. Safe to say, unless there is a blockbuster in the making that this was the pens last deadline deal this year.
This is a beauty for the Leafs. Picking up half the salary doesn’t hurt at all and Sill’s contract expires soon as well. I personally thought that a 2nd would be a great value for Winnik, the 4th rounder is just bonus.
I dont love it or hate it…its nice that he got a second but, holding salary on Winnik just about guarantees that a bigger contracts wont be moved before the deadline, with retaining money on the contracts of Gunnarsxon and Winnik the Leafs can only retain money on one more contract this season. If it meant mo salary retention I would have been fine with less return. Imo it reduces optoins at the deadline. It would suck if on Monday youwere presented with 2 decent deals that both hinged on holding a bit of salary, and Nonis decided it was best to hold 600 k to land a fourth rounder….Not a great start to the new regime imo.
Great trade by Toronto. Getting a 2nd and 4th for a player they signed at near the league bottom salary and is a UFA and wouldn’t sign with us again based on interest in him from other teams. Picking up some of his salary, so what… that’s pennies to the Leafs and it’s off the books in a few months anyway. I remember people laughing when it was stated that Nonis wanted a 2nd pick and a player/prospect for Winnik and we got very close to that.
You got close, so the ones laughing were right? Right?
And Sekera to the Kings, and the Kings have reupped Kyle Clifford for 5 years.
What is JR doing?? Trade for a guy who has never scored more then 11 goals?? Keep Craig Adams and rid the team of Sill??
Pen’s WILL NOT win the cup with this team JR, and he keeeps trading away draft picks for band-aids??
COME ON
Actually this deal opens up the chance to scratch Adams in most games unless Bennett doesn’t get his act together. The pens where never going to move Adams and thanks to Toronto keeping half his salary Winnik makes as much as Adams now. If there is another player hovering around 1 million that can help maybe downie gets moved but not banking on it.
Mark my words, still won’t be going anywhere. He was brought in to win face offs, kill penalties and police the young kids the leafs bring up during the deadline and offseason. The kid is an honest player. Exactly what the leafs need on their forth line. I’ve known zack since he was a bearcat in Truro Nova Scotia.
Can anyone see a theme paying out here? High character players, toughness coming to Toronto so far in these trades? Love it
Totally agree with you Matty. Thus far, we have brought in character players to help with the youth to be coming in over the next couple of years. The prospects, young talented players playing at this time and draft picks will be coming via trades with our high salaried players, etc.
I dunno…..thought the Leafs could have done a bit better on this one.
Pens still have their 3rd rounder in 2015?
How deep is the 2016 class trending?
Kinda hoping that the Leafs re-sign Winnik in the summer but I know that’s unlikely.
The Leafs did well on this trade. Yeah, they didn’t get a 2015 2nd or prospect (unless you consider a soon to be 27 year old with 62 games of NHL experience a prospect), but they got a good haul for a bottom six forward. Expecting anything more for Winnik is foolish.
I’m not too sure why everyone is so stoaked over the Sill acquisition though. The picks are great, but we’re talking about a guy who is closer to 30 than 20 and not likely to advance past 13th forward on a decent team. He could be good filling on a rebuilding squad but thats about it.