The Minnesota Wild have always held defensive responsibility in high regard. All of their forwards are expected to contribute in their own end, with leaders like Mikko Koivu and Nino Niederreiter being among the best two-way players in the game. Now they’ve brought in another winger known for his defensive prowess in Daniel Winnik, who will attend Wild camp on a PTO.
Winnik was listed 36th on our Top 50 Free Agent rankings earlier this summer, but will have to settle instead just for a camp tryout. The 32-year old put up another solid season a year ago, registering 25 points while once again being a solid defensive presence at even strength and on the penalty kill. Winnik is one of the more consistent bottom-six wingers in the league, recording between 19 and 34 points in each of the past eight seasons (including the shortened 2012-13 season).
Minnesota will also be bringing a no longer retired Ryan Malone to camp, with his main goal to earn an AHL contract and Olympic spot. Alex Prewitt of Sports Illustrated goes in depth on Malone’s comeback attempt, and perhaps he’ll be writing a similar story about Winnik in the near future. If he can’t find an NHL job, Winnik would almost certainly be considered for Team Canada at the upcoming Olympics, something that would have seemed far-fetched four years ago. Winnik has never represented Canada at a major international tournament, but is clearly still good enough to make an impact.
I’m surprised he had to settle for a pto
JD, teams are trying to squeeze out mid range contracts by signing veterans to these cheap contracts which in turn saves money. Teams are using PTOs to save money and attempt to skirt the cap.We are seeing more and more of these sneaky contracts but wait until next year.