Joe Haggerty, the, um, best sportswriter that ever was, reports that the Boston Bruins have signed ex-Caps forward Daniel Winnik to a professional tryout agreement. Winnik, 33, last played for Bruce Boudreau’s Minnesota Wild. He’d be a great addition to Boston’s forward depth.
Bruins have signed Lee Stempniak and Daniel Winnik to player tryout agreements for training camp. The Stempniak one isn't a surprise given he's played with B's and has been working out with team at Warrior Arena
— Joe Haggerty (@HackswithHaggs) September 10, 2018
Also getting a PTO is 35-year-old winger, Lee “Suitcase” Stempniak. Stempniak has played for 10 teams in his NHL career, including Boston.
Playing for the Wild last season, Winnik scored 6 goals and 17 assists in 81 games. Along with linemates Joel Eriksson Ek and Marcus Foligno, Winnik was defensively stout but struggled to generate much offense. (The Wild as a team were second-to-last in the league at generating attempts during 5-on-5 play.)
That lowered scoring was a big shift from Winnik’s successful 2016-17 outing with Washington, in which Winnik, Jay Beagle, and Tom Wilson formed the Caps’ dominant fourth line. Despite defensive assignments, that fourth line held opponents even in shot attempts and outscored them 19 to 11. Winnik was not a passenger in that trio either; he pushed Wilson and Beagle’s shot-attempt numbers up three percentage points while recording his career best in goals with twelve.
Here’s one:
Winnik is just one year removed from his scoring peak. He’s got a sterling track record as a dependable depth forward who improves his linemates and kills penalties. He has bulldogs.
Minnesota made the right move signing Winnik off a PTO. Boston should be smart and do the same.
Headline photo: Amanda Bowen
