The Penguins acquired three new forwards on Monday ahead of the NHL's trade deadline.
The first trade brought in Patrick Marleau, who has skated in 1,715 regular-season games in his career. The second traded added former Penguin and two-time Stanley Cup champion Conor Sheary, along with fifth-year pro Evan Rodrigues.
Most fans are probably the least familiar with Rodrigues as a player out of those three. So, what kind of a player did the Penguins get in Rodrigues? Let's take a look.
BACKGROUND
Rodrigues, 26, was an undrafted free agent signing by the Sabres in the summer of 2015 out of Boston University. During his four NCAA seasons, he scored 42 goals and 79 assists in 146 games. As a senior, Rodrigues scored 21 goals and 40 assists in 41 games to finish second in scoring for the Terriers, trailing only his linemate, Jack Eichel as the team won the Hockey East championship.
Rodrigues played in two NHL games in his first professional season in 2015-16, and spent the rest of the time in the AHL with the Rochester Americans. He split the next season between the AHL and NHL, and then in 2017-18, played 48 games in the NHL and eight in the AHL. Last season he set career highs with nine goals and 20 assists in 74 games, spending the entire year in the NHL for the first time.
This year Rodrigues has struggled to find playing time under new Sabres head coach Ralph Krueger. In his 38 games for the Sabres this season he averaged 11:19 in ice time per night, and scored five goals and four assists. Three of those goals and one of the assists came in his last nine games.
On Dec. 31, TSN's Darren Dreger reported that Rodrigues "made his interests in a trade known" to Sabres management.
"I'm a hockey player who wants to play hockey," Rodrigues told Buffalo reporters the next day. "I think that pretty much anyone out there will tell you the same thing. It's a job, it's a career. I just want to play hockey."
Krueger also addressed the report.
"I can only speak to what is, and what is is we will end up with a group of players who really want to be here," he said. "We will work with the players who really want to be here and, quite clearly, play the players who really want to be here."
One Buffalo reporter saw Rodrigues after the trade was announced on Monday, and he seemed pretty happy to be on his way out of Buffalo.
Just saw Evan Rodrigues here in the hallway. Literally ran back in to grab something and back out the door to head out. He’s excited. Said he got word around 2:30. Safe to say he seems geeked.
— Joe Yerdon (@JoeYerdon) February 24, 2020
Rodrigues wore No. 71 during his time in Buffalo. Evgeni Malkin didn't offer his number up to the new guy, so Rodrigues will be wearing No. 9 for the Penguins.
CONTRACT
As a restricted free agent last summer, Rodrigues and the Sabres went to salary arbitration where Rodrigues was awarded a one-way, one-year, $2 million contract.
When Rodrigues' deal expires this summer, he will again be a restricted free agent and is still arbitration eligible.
STRENGTHS
A big one here is Rodrigues' versatility. Like Marleau and Sheary, Rodrigues is capable of playing multiple forward positions. He's the only one of the group who plays in all three though -- center and both wings. A right-handed shot, he'd probably be best utilized on the right side, but he's comfortable anywhere.
"It was important," Jim Rutherford told reporters on Monday of seeking versatile forwards. "If we had to get a forward that can only play one position, we would have been OK with that. But certainly the guys we got can move around. They can move up and down the lineup, they can move to their opposite wing or to center. Having that kind of flexibility for the coach makes it easier for him.”
Rodrigues was definitely used "up and down the lineup" in Buffalo, skating on all four lines at different points this season, at center, left wing, and right wing.
“Getting guys that can move up and down the lineup always helps,” Rutherford said. “Marleau and Sheary can do that. Even Rodrigues, he was in and out of the lineup in Buffalo, I don’t know exactly what happened there but even there were times that he played with Eichel. Those guys can definitely move around.”
Rodrigues was also used on the Sabres' power play and penalty kill. Last season he led the Sabres with four shorthanded points.
Rodrigues has the speed to fit in with the Penguins' identity this season. He has a quick release on his shot, too. This goal was from this season:
... and this goal was from last season:
WEAKNESSES
Rodrigues is on the smaller side at 5-foot-11 and 183-pounds.
Rodrigues, even given his limited action this season, has struggled to score at the same rate he did last season. He didn't score his first goal of the season until his 26th game, and he only recorded three assists in that span.
WHERE DOES HE FIT?
There's no telling how the lines will shape up with additions of the three new forwards, plus Nick Bjugstad presumably returning soon and Zach Aston-Reese once he's healthy. Rodrigues will likely be a bottom-six wing on this roster, but when (if?) the forward group gets healthy this season, I'm not sure that Rodrigues will get much more playing time than he did in Buffalo. Regardless, the flexibility he provides makes him a much better depth option than the Penguins have had as of late.
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