Report: Pittsburgh Penguins acquire Nick Bonino from San Jose Sharks

The deal apparently occurred under our noses late last night, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. There is currently no word on the return for the Sharks.

Bonino ranked 22nd on Frank Seravalli’s most recent edition of the Trade Targets list. He’s in the final year of a two-year deal with a $2.05 million cap hit with the Sharks.

The Penguins bring back Bonino after he spent two seasons in Pittsburgh in 2015-16 and 2016-17. It felt like his Pens career was much longer, but that’s because he went on two deep Stanley Cup runs with them, playing a big role as their third line center between Phil Kessel and Carl Hagelin as part of the famous HBK Line for those two championship teams. Unfortunately, the odds are not high that either of the other two members of that line are returning, with Kessel part of another contender in the Vegas Golden Knights, and Hagelin out indefinitely after a hip surgery.

Bonino is having a bit of a down year with 10 goals, nine assists, and 19 points in 59 games, although it’s still relatively close to his regular production between 25 and 35 points. However, he’s better known for his defensive ability, with a 5v5 expected goals against per 60 minutes of 2.55 and 2.6 defensive goals above replacement on a really weak Sharks team.

Bonino joins a Pens team that is fighting for a wild card spot in the playoffs. They sit in the first wild card spot at the moment with a 31-21-9 record, and are currently red hot with a four-game winning streak. They’ve already acquired Mikael Granlund at this year’s deadline as an attempt to bolster their forward group for a playoff run.

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