Marko Daňo

Lore & Background

Daňo was traded to the Winnipeg Jets on 25 February 2016, along with the Blackhawks' first-round pick in the 2016 NHL entry draft, in exchange for Andrew Ladd, Jay Harrison and Matt Fraser. In 21 games for the Jets that season, he recorded four goals and eight points. The following season, Daňo had eleven points in 38 games and also skated six games for the team's AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose. The Jets re-signed him to a one-year contract worth $850,000 on 13 June 2017, and again to a one-year contract worth $800,000 on 24 July 2018. After beginning the 2018–19 season as a healthy scratch, the Jets placed Daňo on waivers on 14 October 2018. He was claimed by the Colorado Avalanche the following day, but after going scoreless in eight games, he was placed back on waivers on 22 November. The next day, the Jets reclaimed him and immediately reassigned him to the AHL's Manitoba Moose, where he contributed 12 goals and 30 points in 51 games for the remainder of the season. Daňo's tenure with the Jets ended on 25 June 2019 when he was not tendered a qualifying offer. He later returned for a third stint within the Jets organization on 6 November 2020, signing a one-year, two-way contract, but was assigned to the AHL and played in 13 games with the Manitoba Moose during the 2020–21 season.

Reader's Guide

Marko Daňo's time with the Winnipeg Jets spanned two distinct periods, first as a young forward acquired in a trade deadline deal and later as a depth player who returned to the organization after being claimed off waivers. His initial arrival in 2016 came as part of a trade that sent captain Andrew Ladd to Chicago, and Daňo was expected to contribute offensively. He posted eight points in 21 games that spring and followed with 11 points in 38 games the next season, showing flashes of the skill that made him a first-round pick. However, inconsistency and a crowded forward group led to his placement on waivers in October 2018, after which he was claimed by Colorado. When the Avalanche waived him a month later, the Jets brought him back and assigned him to the Manitoba Moose, where he produced 30 points in 51 AHL games. Daňo's second stint with the organization ended when he was not given a qualifying offer in June 2019. He returned one more time in November 2020 on a two-way contract but never played an NHL game for the Jets during that third stint, spending the entire 2020–21 season in the AHL. Overall, Daňo's legacy with Winnipeg is that of a talented but unfulfilled prospect who provided occasional offense but could not secure a permanent NHL role.

Did You Know?

• Daňo was born in Eisenstadt, Austria, but grew up in Trenčín, Slovakia.
• His father, Jozef Daňo, played for the Slovak national team at the 1994 and 1998 Winter Olympics.
• Daňo scored his first NHL goal, assist and point in his second career game, on 11 October 2014 against the New York Rangers.