With a new team came a new freedom: not having to shave. The Toronto Maple Leafs had an unwritten policy that players were not to sport facial hair, and “not going to lie,” Winnik said he likes having the option to grow a beard.
Other changes will come slower for Winnik, who was traded from Toronto to the Washington Capitals on Sunday night. His wife and dogs will join him when the team gets back from a week-long road trip to Boston and then California. He hopes to find a slightly more permanent housing situation by then.
This was the third time Winnik has been dealt ahead of the trade deadline, but with his contract running through the end of next season, Capitals Coach Barry Trotz suggested he make himself feel at home.