Nick Bonino Traded to Penguins from Sharks at Deadline; Won 2 Stanley Cups with PIT

Veteran forward Nick Bonino is heading back to the Pittsburgh Penguins ahead of Friday's NHL trade deadline.

Josh Yohe of The Athletic was the first to report that the San Jose Sharks had agreed to send Bonino back to the Pens on Friday, and TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported that the Sharks are receiving a fifth- and seventh-round pick in return.

Per Sportsnet, the Montreal Canadiens were also involved in the deal, making it a three-team trade. In addition to San Jose receiving a 2023 seventh-rounder and 2024 fifth-rounder from the Penguins, it landed defenseman Arvid Henrikson from the Habs.

Meanwhile, the Canadiens secured defenseman Tony Sund and a 2024 fifth-round pick from the Sharks.

Bonino, 34, spent the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons in Pittsburgh, winning a pair of Stanley Cups.

This season, which is Bonino's 14th in the NHL, he has recorded 10 goals and nine assists for 19 points in 59 games while also posting a minus-six rating.

For his career, Bonino has registered 158 goals and 195 assists for 353 points in 820 games, enjoying stops with the Anaheim Ducks, Vancouver Canucks, Penguins, Nashville Predators, Minnesota Wild and Sharks.

He has been a third- or fourth-line player for most of his career, playing a defensively responsible game and chipping in double-digit goals on nine occasions, including each of the past seven seasons.

Bonino's two years in Pittsburgh were among the most productive of his career, particularly in the playoffs.

During the Penguins' run to a Stanley Cup in 2016, he was among Pittsburgh's best players, racking up an impressive 18 points in 24 games. He added seven points in 21 playoff games the following season.

Also, in 2016-17, Bonino had 18 goals, which was the second-highest mark of his career, and 37 points, which was his third-best total.

Now that Bonino is set to rejoin the Penguins six years later, a level of familiarity still exists.

Many of the complementary pieces have changed; however, forwards Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin and defenseman Kris Letang remain the Penguins' core, just as they were during the Cup runs.

The Penguins are not considered a top Cup contender like they were then, but they are in the thick of the playoff hunt, holding the top wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with 71 points.

Since Pittsburgh's window of opportunity to win a Cup is likely closing with Crosby and Malkin getting older, the team has been active leading up to the deadline.

Prior to the Bonino trade, the Penguins acquired winger Mikael Granlund from the Predators for a second-round pick Wednesday, meaning the Pens are loading up on plenty of forward depth for the stretch run.