KRISTO SENT TO CAROLINA

February 23, 2017 Brian Coe
Kristo
Kristo_HS
Danny Kristo has recorded three consecutive 20-goal seasons

The Pittsburgh Penguins have acquired defenseman Ron Hainsey from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for a 2017 second-round draft pick and forward Danny Kristo, it was announced today by Penguins executive vice president and general manager Jim Rutherford.

Kristo was acquired by the Penguins from the St Louis Blues on November 19, 2016 for defenseman Reid McNeill.  He appeared in 32 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, recording 11 points (6+5) and 10 penalty minutes.

Hainsey, 35, was in his fourth season with the Hurricanes. This season, he has suited up for all 56 games played, producing 14 points (4G-10A), including his 200th NHL assist against the Penguins back on Jan. 20.

The 6-foot-3, 210-pound lefthanded-shooting blueliner sat third on the Hurricanes in time on ice (22:20 minutes) and second overall in shorthanded minutes (3:03 minutes). His 79 hits led club defenders, and his 92 blocked shots placed third.

A native of Bolton, Connecticut, Hainsey served as an alternate captain for Carolina during the previous two seasons. The dependable blueliner joins the Penguins having skated in 347 of a possible 350 games since 2012-13.

Originally drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the first round (13th overall) in 2000, Hainsey has 250 points (49G-201A) in 891 career games played with Carolina, Winnipeg/Atlanta, Columbus and Montreal. Since playing his first full-time NHL season with Columbus in 2006-07, Hainsey has played in 804 of a possible 842 games (95%).

Hainsey, who played two years at the University of Massechusetts-Lowell, becomes the 16th current Penguin with college hockey experience. Only Matt Cullen (1,347 games) and Trevor Daley (892 games) have more NHL regular-season playing experience.

Hainsey, an alumnus of the United States National Team Development Program, represented the United States at the 2009 World Championship, where he was an alternate captain, and named one of the ‘Top Three’ players on the team by the media. He also skated in the 2000 and ’01 World Junior Championship, leading all defenders with five assists in ’01.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s next game is Friday, Feb. 24, when it travels to upstate New York to take on the Utica Comets. Puck drop between the Penguins and Comets is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s next home game isn’t until Wednesday, Mar. 8, and its opponent will be the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

Individual game tickets for Mar. 8’s game and all Penguins home games are available at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza box office, online at TicketMaster.com, or by calling 800-745-3000.

Penguins ticket packages, including 12-game and 10-voucher flex packs, are available directly through the Penguins offices by calling (570) 208-7367.

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