Penguins A to Z: Evan Rodrigues found what he wanted in Pittsburgh
While the NHL is on hold because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the Tribune-Review will offer Penguins A to Z, a player-by-player look at all 54 individuals under NHL contract with the organization, from mid-level prospect Niclas Almari to high-profile trade acquisition Jason Zucker.
Player: Evan Rodrigues
Position: Center
Shoots: Right
Age: 26
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 184 pounds
2019-20 NHL statistics: 45 games, 10 points (six goals, four assists)
Contract: One-year contract with a salary cap hit of $2 million. Pending restricted free agent this upcoming offseason.
Acquired: Trade, Feb. 24, 2020
This season: Things looked bright for Rodrigues at the dawn of the 2019-20 season.
He was coming off the heels of a breakout effort in 2018-19 when he set career highs with 74 games and 29 points (nine goals, 20 assists) while playing 11 of 12 forward positions within the lineups. He had just signed a fairly lucrative one-year contract as a restricted free agent. Additionally, he was on a Buffalo Sabres team poised to emerge from nearly a decade of futility.
But things went sideways almost immediately. In fact, Rodrigues’ 2019-20 campaign was stuck in neutral from the first game.
A healthy scratch for the Sabres’ season opener, Rodrigues failed to enamour new coach Ralph Krueger and ended up getting the dreaded “DND” designation (Did not Dress) listed next to his name for 17 games.
(Rodrigues also missed seven games in November and December because of an undisclosed injury.)
A few days before New Year’s Eve, Rodrigues had grown so frustrated with his lack of playing time he requested a trade from a Sabres squad that was going nowhere quickly.
“If you’re not playing and you’re not getting the chance to do your job, you want to go somewhere to try to do that,” Rodrigues said.
By late February, his request was granted as the Penguins acquired him as well as forward Conor Sheary in exchange for forward Dominik Kahun.
Rodrigues’ time with the Penguins has been limited. He appeared in seven games (and was scratched once) before the NHL halted play March 12. His only point with the Penguins was a goal in their final game before the pause, a 5-2 road win against the Devils.
(Video courtesy NHL)
Beyond that, the Penguins have found far more use for the versatile Rodrigues than the Sabres did. Used at all three forward positions on the bottom two lines, he also found a role on the team’s penalty kill averaging 1 minute, 53 seconds of short-handed ice time.
The future: With forwards Nick Bjugstad (back) and Dominik Simon (left shoulder) sidelined for several months following surgeries, Rodrigues appears poised to be the team’s 13th forward if play resumes this season. He offers an ability to slot in to all three forward positions no one else on the roster possesses.
Beyond this season, it will be curious to see how valuable the Penguins view Rodrigues as a pending restricted free agent.
He’s definitely useful given his versatility, but $2 million is quite a bit for a player who might not always be a regular part of the lineup.
And with goaltenders Matt Murray, Tristan Jarry and forward Jared McCann each entering restricted free agency this upcoming offseason, Rodrigues won’t be a top priority for management.
Regardless, he’ll have a much better chance to prove his worth with the Penguins than he did with the Sabres.
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
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