As the anticipated trade deadline approaches on March 3 for the National Hockey League, two playoff contending teams, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Los Angeles Kings, made moves that helped bolster their respective rosters yesterday afternoon.
The Toronto Maple Leafs completed a deal yesterday with the Penguins, highlighted around Leafs forward Daniel Winnik. The deal involves Winnink heading to Pittsburgh, and in exchange, Toronto will receive forward Zach Sill, a 2015 fourth-round pick, and a 2016 second-round pick.
Winnik, 29, had nine goals, 25 points, and a plus-15 rating in 58 games with the Leafs this season. Penguins GM Jim Rutherford believes that Winnink can make an immidiate impact for his club and become a good fit for a team that was looking to strengthen its bottom six.
Sill, 26, was known predominently for his physical play while in his tenure with the Penguins. Sill had a minus-3 rating and three points in 42 games this season.
The Kings completed a deal with the Carolina Hurricanes that sent defenseman Andrej Sekera to the Kings in exchange for a L.A. first-round pick and prospect Rowland McKeown.
The first-round pick Carolina would receive will come this season if the Kings make the playoffs or, if they miss the playoffs, next season.
The Kings had been aggressively shopping for a player to add to their blue line, and they settled on Sekara, 28, as their guy. In 59 games this season, Sekera had 19 points and averaged 22:46 a game.
Sekera is a defenseman who can play in any scenario whether it be even strength, power play, or even the penalty kill. Although Sekera is underpeforming this season, the potential is certainly there. Sekera is coming off a 2013-14 campaign that saw the defenseman tally up 44 points for the Hurricanes. The Kings are hoping that a change in scenery for him will perhaps reignite that production that Los Angeles could certainly use.
Perhaps maybe it was too aggresive in what they gave up. Sekera is making $2.75 million this year and is an unrestricted free agent this summer.