Daniel Winnik lines up for a net-front drill at the Penguins’ practice Saturday at Consol. — DEJAN KOVACEVIC
BY DEJAN KOVACEVIC
News: Daniel Winnik took to the ice for his first practice with the Penguins this morning at Consol Energy Center, skating on the third line alongside Brandon Sutter and Steve Downie.
Views: Never mind my views. I shared those the other day from D.C. when Jim Rutherford acquired Winnik from the Maple Leafs.
Instead, here are three questions I just had for the new guy himself …
Very professional, poised. Even handled that Toronto question, which can be a little sticky, with the smartest answer possible. Impressive.
There’s nothing not to like.
And really, that might be the best way to think of Winnik. He won’t score much, and no one will mind. He’s 6-2, 209, so he offers size the Penguins were sorely lacking up front. He’s got terrific speed for a guy of his stature. He plays intelligently and diligently at both ends. And above all, he’s a superior penalty-killer.
Plus-minus is almost always a meaningless stat, but when the disparity between one player and the rest of his team is so great — Winnik was a plus-15 on a roster with five players lugging double-digit minuses — there’s something real happening.
“He’s a good, honest hockey player, and he makes us bigger and stronger,” goaltender Thomas Greiss, Winnik’s one-time teammate in San Jose, was telling me. “You could see that we needed some of that when we’d go against teams like Washington. I don’t think too much about the regular season, but the time you really need it is in the playoffs. Daniel makes us a better playoff team.”
I asked Blake Comeau if maybe Winnik reminded him of a Western Conference type of forward, big-bodied but skilled enough. Think St. Louis or Los Angeles.
“Yeah, I think so,” Comeau replied. “Teams like that can wear you down. You like having those guys on your side.”
Winnik’s debut will come tomorrow against the visiting Blue Jackets, another opponent that has tried to play physically against the Penguins in recent years.
The top two lines were unchanged for practice. The fourth line had Maxim Lapierre centering the rotating winger trio of Craig Adams, Nick Spaling and Beau Bennett. No hints were given as to an odd man out.
Lets hope it's Adams. Can't wait to see Winnik with Sutter. Was hoping they'd give BB a shot with them. At this point whatever makes them tougher to play against.
Can't wait for tomorrow's game! Really excited to see Winnik on the ice. Much needed addition to the bottom 6. If I had to guess, Adams would be odd man out. I think scratching Spaling would be a mistake. Bennett is meh...can't figure him out.
I thought the same thing. Right or wrong, I expected him to be a bit more like Tom WIlson the other night. He has that "playoff pedigree" so I expect he'll pick it up a bit.
alantig
2-28-2015, 2:07 pm
Against CBJ, my bet is Bennett's out. If he's a fourth-line option, Bennett is the weaker link.
Winnik seems like a great pro and playoff style bottom 6 player. He's not as "gritty" as most people are making him out to be...and we probably payed a steep price for a role player...but he will help the third line defensively (was a big problem) and become the new Dupuis of our PK
However, he never mentioned "Penguins" or "Pittsburgh" or Crosby" or "Malkin" or playing with any combination of players. He only mentioned good to be traded to "a contending team."
Sounds like a guy who has played for 6 different teams in 8 NHL seasons.
I thought he sounded more like a surviver than a contender!
Here's hoping he has "difference-maker" in him.
Beau has played less than one full season combined and has scored at a pace around 11 goals per 82. Not great, but between injuries, benchings, playing on the left wing, etc we could still expect more out of him than Adams.
Groat2Maz2Strangeglove
2-28-2015, 2:36 pm
Craig Adams has one of the highest forward TOI averages for our top notch penalty kill.
You speak about what you knoweth not! However, it's convenient to "pile on."
Heisenburgh
2-28-2015, 3:03 pm
Winnik can take Adams spot on the PK and the unit will actually be improved. Sutter w/ beau and Winnik as a 3rd and Lappy, spaling, Downie as a 4th.... Adams can be the 13th forward in case of fatigue or injury.
tzernick
2-28-2015, 3:04 pm
Adams is a good penalty killer. That means a lot for the most penalized team.
Groat2Maz2Strangeglove
2-28-2015, 3:29 pm
Tazer St. Nick!
Very wise!!
Zico
2-28-2015, 3:39 pm
I'm an avid hater of Adams for a few years now, but even I can admit that Adams needs to play over Beau if it's a spot on the 4th line. If Beau plays, he's 3rd line and Downie moves down to 4th. While the minutes are few, they're still important. Adams can PK(sort of), play slightly physical, etc. Beau is not a 4th line type.
alantig
2-28-2015, 4:12 pm
"Winnik can take Adams spot on the PK and the unit will actually be improved."
No, Winnik will replace one of the less-capable penalty killers. It was Adams and Winnik paired on the PK in practice today. I wouldn't be surprise to see a trio of Winnik-Adams-Scuderi if the Pens are down two men sometime during the rest of the season, assuming that HCMJ is not tied to the one forward/two defensemen model.
Heisenburgh
2-28-2015, 4:15 pm
Exactly, if you're talking about the 4th line, Beau makes no sense there. PK alone is no reason to keep adams on the roster however. Winnik would replace Craig's spot and statistically the unit should improve. Adams biggest downside that he adds nothing at even strength. The Penguins need to roll 4 lines and a PK specialist just doesn't fit.
alantig
2-28-2015, 5:17 pm
Except Adams has been good defensively. His shots-against numbers are the strongest amongst forwards on the team (excluding the guys who played most of the season elsewhere). He may not be chipping in offensively, but he's helping defensively. That's adding something.
Heisenburgh
2-28-2015, 5:39 pm
The 4th line has been terrible, which is why upgrades have been sought since the new regime took over. 3rd line of 16-26-19 makes sense. Spaling snd downie on the 4th Lappy are upgrades over any trio including adams. Look I don't craig, but the pens have better options at this point and if there's an injury, he can step in.
alantig
2-28-2015, 6:54 pm
No, the fourth line had a stretch where they were bad, but the coaches turned them around. If you go back, HCMJ said he was pleased with the way they had improved before Goc was traded for Lapierre.
Heisenburgh
2-28-2015, 7:50 pm
Well they traded Goc for Lappy and then moved sill.... He can say what he wants publicly but the actions show how they really felt about that line.
bpn8pitt
2-28-2015, 9:37 pm
Sweet handle, Heisenburgh.
Johnny23
2-28-2015, 8:25 pm
Great intro to this new guy. DK it is hard at times to hear your questions in your interviews. Can hear the answers great but the questions asked not so good.
My voice is shot. Sorry. Really under the weather.
Karen
2-28-2015, 9:54 pm
Feel better Dejan!
Karen
2-28-2015, 9:54 pm
I like what Winnik said even if he didn't mention specifics (I think he was echoing Dejan's words). He gave great answers and showed poise.
He was actually the forward that I was hoping the pens would get. The salary was the best fit, the PK abilities (which are badly needed), and the fact that if he fits in he can be resigned (because his cap hit wouldn't be as much as some of the other available forwards) just made me feel he had the most upside. The comparisons to Duper didn't hurt either!
I can't wait to see how he fits in with the team.
I do feel like another Dman would really help. I know some people would prefer a top 6 winger but they have the scoring ability and very little cap room. They will end up making the same mistakes as the Bs if they do it. A Dman would help all the prospects by taking the pressure off them. I just don't know if all the prospects are ready for a deep playoff run at this point. Hopefully, GMJR can find someone.
Sounds like Winnik is a player the Pens need. A Craig Adams type only much, much better at what Adams is supposed to be doing.
We still need 3rd and 4th line scoring in the playoffs so if Winnik isn't a big scorer then all the more reason for Bennett to be playing in place of Adams
"My father had a rule about that when I was a kid: unless both of your legs are broken, you never lay on the ice. You skate off on the good one."
Duper
Yeah, read that, Pucksy. Interesting to see Duper identify the knee injury as the precipitating event. Freaky thing.
Miss him. Imagine our depth right now if we had him (assuming roster juggled to accommodate cap).
Sarah
3-1-2015, 9:57 am
Man I love Duper and his ability to fight through pain/injury is inspirational.
But that article and his denial of a potentially fatal PE was absolutely chilling, especially when you think about his family.
Denial is absolutely normal...and some people can overcome it more easily than others.
This story for me was more about Duper's weakness than his strength.
Lamar valley pack
3-1-2015, 12:49 pm
I'm with Sarah on this one. Dupuis is crazy tough even inspirational. But he is a father and husband too. Godspeed in recovery so he can bring that crazy toughness back to the pens!
DJ
3-1-2015, 10:00 am
Wondering if staff has Downie on 3rd line to keep him from himself.
Thinks a bit more O than D and possibly steers clear of few more penalties.
Plus/Minus for a penalty killer seems unfair. If he is great, he is still likely to give up a goal 1 in 5 penalties. The opposite is true for players on the power play. There should be a stat that corrects for penalties and only shows plus/minus at even strength
PP/PK goals do not count for the +/- stat.
There is an exception for a short-handed goal.
PucknutZ
3-1-2015, 11:19 am
As DK notes plus/minus is generally meaningless
But some times it can indicate something ie:
Last season the great 8 was something like -26...but was right up near the top in goals/points. Did not play much D it would appear.
Yep agreed... Plus/minus tends to be meaningful when it really stands out....
sixncounting
3-1-2015, 1:36 pm
If they're this down on Sunshine, they should have spun him at the deadline. He was all Edzo could talk about on the national broadcast, even seeming bewildered at how Bennett didn't get power play time. Let's hope he doesn't become our next Marcus Naslund in another teams uniform.
If you pair Winnik with Sutter, then you need a third player that can finish. Sutter has some ability to finish, but Downie is probably the next-best option. His playoff numbers are heads and shoulders above the rest of the bottom six.
February 28, 2015
News/views: Winnik revved up for Cup run
by Dejan Kovacevic • News/views • Penguins
Daniel Winnik lines up for a net-front drill at the Penguins’ practice Saturday at Consol. — DEJAN KOVACEVIC
BY DEJAN KOVACEVIC
News: Daniel Winnik took to the ice for his first practice with the Penguins this morning at Consol Energy Center, skating on the third line alongside Brandon Sutter and Steve Downie.
Views: Never mind my views. I shared those the other day from D.C. when Jim Rutherford acquired Winnik from the Maple Leafs.
Instead, here are three questions I just had for the new guy himself …
Very professional, poised. Even handled that Toronto question, which can be a little sticky, with the smartest answer possible. Impressive.
There’s nothing not to like.
And really, that might be the best way to think of Winnik. He won’t score much, and no one will mind. He’s 6-2, 209, so he offers size the Penguins were sorely lacking up front. He’s got terrific speed for a guy of his stature. He plays intelligently and diligently at both ends. And above all, he’s a superior penalty-killer.
Plus-minus is almost always a meaningless stat, but when the disparity between one player and the rest of his team is so great — Winnik was a plus-15 on a roster with five players lugging double-digit minuses — there’s something real happening.
“He’s a good, honest hockey player, and he makes us bigger and stronger,” goaltender Thomas Greiss, Winnik’s one-time teammate in San Jose, was telling me. “You could see that we needed some of that when we’d go against teams like Washington. I don’t think too much about the regular season, but the time you really need it is in the playoffs. Daniel makes us a better playoff team.”
I asked Blake Comeau if maybe Winnik reminded him of a Western Conference type of forward, big-bodied but skilled enough. Think St. Louis or Los Angeles.
“Yeah, I think so,” Comeau replied. “Teams like that can wear you down. You like having those guys on your side.”
Winnik’s debut will come tomorrow against the visiting Blue Jackets, another opponent that has tried to play physically against the Penguins in recent years.
The top two lines were unchanged for practice. The fourth line had Maxim Lapierre centering the rotating winger trio of Craig Adams, Nick Spaling and Beau Bennett. No hints were given as to an odd man out.