Sharks Acquire Winnik, Galiardi from Avalanche

The San Jose Sharks have announced that they have acquired left wing Daniel Winnik, center T.J. Galiardi, and a seventh round pick in the 2013 Entry Draft from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for left wing Jamie McGinn and centers Mike Connolly and Michael Sgarbossa. In 63 games so far this season, Winnik has five goals and 13 assists for 18 points, while Galiardi has eight goals and six assists for 14 points in 55 games. McGinn appeared in 61 games with the Sharks, scoring 12 goals and 12 assists for 24 points. In 40 games with Worcester of the AHL, Connolly has 10 goals and 20 assists for 30 points, while Sgarbossa has 41 goals and 43 assists for 84 points in 57 games with Sudbury of the OHL.

This is a solid trade for both teams, as Colorado and San Jose both addressed some of their needs on offense. The Sharks get an excellent penalty killer in Winnik, who also has good size and plays with some grit. Galiardi also brings some grit to the team, as well as lots of energy and speed. With the addition of Dominic Moore on February 16, the Sharks have filled out their bottom-six forward positions nicely and the versatility of all three players will help the team immensely. McGinn adds some solid two-way ability to Colorado's checking lines, as well as some versatility and a solid work ethic. The Avalanche get a lot of offensive upside in Connolly and Sgarbossa and both players should get a chance to develop into NHL-caliber players in the team's system.

Avalanche Re-Sign Winnik, Quincey, Grahame, Talbot, Add Liffiton, Mauldin, Van Der Gulik, Bacashihua

The Colorado Avalanche made a slew of signings Friday night by re-signing defenseman Kyle Quincey and center Daniel Winnik to two-year contracts and center Julian Talbot and goaltender John Grahame to one-year deals. The team also signed defenseman David Liffiton, center Greg Mauldin, right wing David Van Der Gulik, and goaltender Jason Bacashihua to one-year contracts. Financial terms of all the deals were not disclosed. The Avalanche acquired Winnik from the Phoenix Coyotes for a fourth round pick in 2012 on June 28 and Talbot from the St. Louis Blues for forward T.J. Hensick on June 17. The Winnik and Quincey signings are good ones for the Avalanche. Winnik is a good penalty killer and will bring some defensive skill to the checking lines, while Quincey brings plenty of offense and toughness to the blueline. The rest of the players are nothing more than depth signings, as nearly all of them are likely to spend most of next season in the minors.

Avalanche Acquire Forward Winnik from Coyotes

The Colorado Avalanche announced today that they have acquired center Daniel Winnik from the Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for a fourth round pick in the 2012 Entry Draft. Winnik is eligible for restricted free agency on July 1. In 74 games last season with the Coyotes, he had four goals and 15 assists for 19 points. Not a bad acquisition for the Avalanche, as Winnik is a versatile forward in that he can play both center and on the wing. He's a good penalty killer with plenty of defensive skill, so he should be a good fit on Colorado's third line next season.