Daniel Winnik claims Leafs don't need 'full rebuild'
The Leafs don't have much from last season that they would like to repeat -- not the losses, not the off-ice battles and not the questions of leadership issues.
But Daniel Winnik, a former Leaf player who spent the second half of last season with the Penguins before returning to Toronto as a free agent, said improving on last season does not necessarily require a full rebuild.
"I don’t see us in full rebuild mode," Winnik said in a recent interview with the NHLPA. "I don’t think it’s going to be, ‘This will be extremely painful, we’re going to lose a lot of games.’ What happened post-December I don’t know. But I like that challenge."
Winnik was a great offensive depth player for the Leafs last year, providing 25 points in 55 games while adding more value as a penalty killer. He also seems to have the mental fortitude to play in the Toronto market, as Winnik returned by choice and not by trade.
Winnik told the NHLPA he has confidence in the current Toronto roster.
"You want to be a team that competes right until the final buzzer," Winnik said to the NHLPA. "I’m sure everyone is still trying to figure out what went wrong last year. I don’t think we’re a bad hockey team."
(h/t NHLPA)
