After being unable to secure a contract in the NHL following his release from his tryout with the Bruins, veteran winger Daniel Winnik is heading overseas. Geneve-Servette of the Swiss NLA announced that they have signed Winnik for the remainder of the season following the injury of one of their import players in Lance Bouma (who is expected to miss the rest of the year with a knee issue).
The 33-year-old has been a serviceable checker around the NHL over the past 11 years but has seen his role diminish over the last few seasons. After being someone that spent a lot of time on the third line, he found himself in more of a depth role last season with Minnesota although he still put up a respectable 23 points (6-17-23) in 81 games.
Over his career, Winnik has played in 798 NHL contests between the Coyotes, Avalanche, Sharks, Ducks, Maple Leafs, Penguins, Capitals, and Wild. In that span, he picked up 82 goals along with 169 assists while averaging just shy of 15 minutes per night.
In the Swiss league, Winnik should get more of an opportunity to play an offensive-minded role. If he can show that he can still be a productive player, he stands a good chance of landing at least another PTO offer for next season. If not, he’ll close out his time in the NHL with just over $14MM in career earnings.