Gordie Howe hat trick shows Winnik’s worth
Gritty performance against tough Jets team could help improve forward’s trade value
What if the Leafs kept Dan Winnik? Would it be such a bad thing?
Winnik remains one of the most in-demand trade deadline players in the NHL at the moment, and after the Leafs’ 4-3 overtime win against Winnipeg Saturday night, it was easy to see why.
“He’s extremely valuable to me,” coach Peter Horachek said as Winnik posted the Gordie Howe hat trick — a goal, assist, and a scrap — on a gritty, hit filled night against the Jets.
“He’s one of our best penalty killers, he’s able to play up and down the lineup, the left and right side (wings) . . . he got into that fight tonight and that’s necessary for guys to step up at the right times.”
Winnik has been doing that ever since the Leafs’ season-ruining spiral began with what seemed like an innocent loss Dec. 18 in Carolina, one that halted a six-game winning streak.
Since then, it’s been Winnik — not Phil Kessel or Nazem Kadri or anyone else — who has led the team, logging 10 even-strength points and six even-strength goals.
On Saturday night, he joined Joffrey Lupul in taking away goalie sight lines on two Leaf goals, something the Leafs have talked about ad nauseam over the course of their spiral.
“I wasn’t even aware of it (Gordie Howe hat trick) until I was in the box (after his fight with the bigger Ben Chiarot),” said Winnik, who has a similar hat trick three years ago with Colorado.
“You want to win a game like that. They (Jets) were giving and taking hits, it got emotional out there, even after the whistles, it was chippy.”
Winnik remains one of the NHL’s most coveted players as the March 2 trade deadline nears — and he’s heard that line for over a month now.
“I am approaching every game as if it’s my last as a Leaf,” he said.
After last night’s performance, and his emergence as arguably the Leafs’ best overall player since the streak began, Winnik now lands on both sides of that argument — should he be traded for picks and prospects, or would the Leafs actually be better served signing him to a two-year contract extension?
Toronto’s rebuild plans appear to land Winnik on the trade route; at 29, he’s certain to attract solid offers from several teams, which certainly weighs in favour of a Leafs team that appears to be on a three- to five-year rebuild plan.
But Winnik has also developed solid chemistry with Nazem Kadri, who had a monster game Saturday. In addition, Winnik could also lend shortterm value to that developing roster with his versatility and the example of his two-way game.
“He makes plays, I can read off him and that’s what happens when you string a line together for a few games,” Kadri said of Winnik.
Winnik’s future remains heavily pointed toward a new team after March 2, but for now, reporters have taken to giving him a nickname — Daniel “Deadline” Winnik.
Winnik signed with the Leafs last summer on a one-year deal at $1.3 million, making him a relative bargain in the cap world. He was traded at the deadline in 2012 and was traded to the Ducks after signing a twoyear deal in Colorado, so he’s familiar with deadline and trade scenarios.
But he’s also looking for a solid home and given his play with the Leafs — he’s arguably been their best overall player the past two months — he may represent a bargain keeper at a time when the Leafs could use more responsible two-way players.