Hurricanes trade Hainsey to Penguins for 2nd-round pick, AHLer

The Pittsburgh Penguins addressed their severely depleted defense corps Thursday, adding veteran blue-liner Ron Hainsey from the Carolina Hurricanes for a second-round pick in this year's draft and AHLer Danny Kristo, the clubs announced.

The deal was confirmed five minutes after the Penguins revealed defenseman Trevor Daley will miss six weeks with a knee injury. They've already been without Justin Schultz, who was diagnosed with a concussion, and Olli Maatta, who'll miss at least another five weeks with a hand ailment.

Hainsey is a pending unrestricted free agent with a cap hit of $2.83 million, and the Hurricanes will retain 50 percent of the 35-year-old's remaining salary. He ranked third on Carolina with an average ice time of 22:19, posting 14 points in 56 games.

Kristo has been traded multiple times in his career and has yet to appear in an NHL game, but the 26-year-old posted three straight 20-plus-goal campaigns in the AHL prior to this season. He registered 11 points in 32 games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in 2016-17.