"Part of it had to do with the caliber of team they have, the championship window that they're in right now," Hunwick said Saturday. "Part of it was the opportunity that I have in terms of playing close in proximity to where I live. There's a lot of things that go into making a decision like this, and certainly you have to think about your family when you have a wife and a son and a dog and those kinds of things. You kind of couple everything together and if you have a chance to be on a really good team, it was just a no-brainer for me."
After watching Pittsburgh in the playoffs the last couple of years, Hunwick felt that his style of play would be a fit in their systems. He said the big strengths of his game are his skating, his compete level and getting back and moving the puck quick.
"I think watching Pittsburgh throughout the playoffs the last couple years, they certainly have that in their game where they like to get the puck up to the forwards," he said. "That's certainly the strength of the club. So I hope to bring that element of my game and hopefully it transitions well."
Hunwick is coming off a season where he posted the second-best offensive totals of his nine plus year career with 19 points (1G-18A) and a plus-8 in 72 regular-season contests with Toronto. While he can chip in points, he said he's not going to put up huge numbers. Hunwick said for him, it's more about skating quick and moving the puck quick.
Hunwick spent the last two seasons with the Maple Leafs, and added dimension to his game during his time there. A big part of his job was killing penalties, as Hunwick ranked fourth on the club with an average of 2:40 shorthanded minutes per game for the league's 10th-best penalty killing unit.
"It's a role I grew into and really enjoyed doing that," said Hunwick, who has also played for Boston, Colorado and the New York Rangers. "I haven't played power play in a few years. The penalty kill is something I looked to and really wanted to be good at. It was kind of a role I helped create for myself in Toronto and I'd love to be able to do that in Pittsburgh. I have no idea what will happen, but that's certainly something I've done in the past and would love to do it there."
The left-handed shot also got a lot of practice on playing the right side, something he said he feels comfortable doing. Overall, it was a unique two years for Hunwick in Toronto - where he was an alternate captain - as they went from finishing last in the league standings to taking Washington to seven games in the First Round of the 2017 playoffs.
Now, Hunwick is looking forward to this new opportunity with Pittsburgh. And while he admitted that while it hasn't quite sunk in yet that he's now a Penguin, he's certainly thrilled.
"I'm excited," he said. "I've gotten a lot of calls and texts from my friends and family today and everyone's really happy with the decision to go to Pittsburgh."
