It took Penguins management less than a week to see enough of Evan Rodrigues at right wing.

Filling in for Patric Hornqvist on the third line, Rodrigues spent the first five days of the team’s training camp on the starboard side of center Jared McCann while alternating with rookie Sam Lafferty.

On the sixth day, he abruptly was removed from that deployment.

But it wasn’t because coaches were displeased with what he had offered in that role. They simply needed him somewhere else.

With Sidney Crosby absent, there was a void to be filled at center on the top line. During Monday’s scrimmage in Cranberry, Rodrigues took a pass in the slot from Jake Guentzel off the left wing, deked to his backhand and flipped a nifty shot over the right leg of sprawling goaltender Tristan Jarry to give his team the game’s first lead.

Such is life for a forward who can play all three forward positions.

Versatility means value, but it often doesn’t allow a player to get too comfortable in one role.

And in a postseason tournament where there will be roster limitations and players could be removed in the event of testing positive for coronavirus, a player such as Rodrigues could be used in a number of ways.

“I pride myself on being able to play all three positions and up and down the lineup,” Rodrigues said Saturday, via video chat. “That versatility is something I bring to the table and will, hopefully, help out this team. Anything I can to, obviously, help us win games and take us to the ultimate goal of winning the Stanley Cup, I’m willing to do.”

A few months ago, that statement would have been outlandish. Not because of the worldwide pandemic that put the NHL’s ability to complete the season in doubt but because Rodrigues was a member of the wretched Buffalo Sabres.

A regularly scratched member of the wretched Buffalo Sabres.

But after requesting a trade and being sent to the Penguins at February’s deadline, it didn’t take long or him to gain the trust of coach Mike Sullivan through his malleability.

In seven games before the NHL halted play in mid-March, Rodrigues played all three forward positions on the bottom two lines and carved out a spot on the penalty kill. In the Penguins’ final game of the regular season, a 5-2 road win against the New Jersey Devils on March 10, he scored the opening goal.

“He’s a very valuable player,” Sullivan said. “We can plug him into so many different types of roles. You can see (Monday), he played in Sid’s spot with Conor (Sheary) and Jake. He has great offensive instincts. He made plays with those guys. To have the ability to play center and play either wing, whether it be his strong side wing or the off wing, he has the ability to play both.

“He has the ability to play the penalty kill. If we had to, I think we could use him on the power play.”

That versatility and its value is something Rodrigues learned well before he become a professional.

“I grew up always being a centerman,” said Rodrigues, 26. “When I got to juniors and college, I played wing. My second year pro, one of my coaches, they needed a centerman, and he thought I’d be good at it. I kind of just relished it. … It’s something that I think helps me and, hopefully, something that I can bring to this team and, obviously, help us win hockey games.”

Ideally, the Penguins will be best suited to win hockey games with a healthy Crosby and Patric Hornqvist — to say nothing of their other top 10 forwards — in the lineup. But given the bellicose nature of the sport and the unique circumstances, this tournament will be orchestrated under, Rodrigues’ ability to multitask makes him even more important.

“To have guys that are part of our team that have the ability to play multiple positions, I think is invaluable for our team overall,” Sullivan said. “We knew he can play all the respective positions. That’s a great asset for us to have.”

“Any opportunity you can get, to kind of showcase yourself and show what you can do, is always a benefit,” Rodrigues said. “That being said, I think whether its practice or an intra-squad scrimmage, you always go out there and you give it all and just try to play your game.”

Note: There was no update on Crosby’s status. He has not skated since leaving Saturday’s scrimmage for an undisclosed reason.

The Penguins have declined comment on Crosby’s status, citing the NHL’s rules on withholding medical information during the pandemic.

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