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With Four-Year Deal, Evan Rodrigues Finds a Home with Florida Panthers

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Evan Rodrigues of the Pittsburgh Penguins skates around Floridaโ€™s Sasha Barkov during a game on March 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

For the past few seasons, Evan Rodrigues has been living the NHL dream on one-year contracts. Sunday, he got the long-term commitment he had been looking for with the Florida Panthers.

Rodrigues, a skilled and versatile forward, signed a four-year deal worth $12 million on Sunday with the Panthers giving the team more flexibility on their forward lines with money freed up when Anthony Duclair was traded to San Jose the night before.

โ€œIt is huge, it is nice confidence-wise and itโ€™s a good feeling when someone believes in you and wants to give you that term and values you as a hockey player,โ€ Rodrigues said. โ€œThat was really important to me and helped me make my decision in coming to Florida. Itโ€™s definitely a good feeling.โ€

When the Panthers traded Duclair on Saturday, many wondered where GM Bill Zito would go to replace him in the lineup.

That was answered pretty early on Sunday.

โ€œThis is a place that my family and I were excited to live in and you always want to join a contender and a team pushing to win the Stanley Cup,โ€ said Rodrigues, who could slot in next to either Sasha Barkov or Sam Bennett on Floridaโ€™s top two lines.

โ€œThey got very close last year and I would like to come him, help them get over the hump and win the Stanley Cup with them. It checks almost every box. We are very excited.โ€

Florida Panthers Free Agency Tracker: Whoโ€™s Coming, Whoโ€™s Going

Rodrigues started his career with the Buffalo Sabres where he was teammates with Sam Reinhart and Brandon Montour.

Three years ago, Rodrigues requested a trade out of Buffalo which was granted as he went to Pittsburgh where he ended up playing alongside Sidney Crosby and scoring a career-high 19 goals with 43 points during the 2021-22 season.

That led to another one-year deal with Colorado where he scored 16 goals with 39 points in 69 games with the Avs.

Florida loves Rodriguesโ€™ speed, his forechecking ability and using his body to work through traffic. He is also expected to get a look on one of Floridaโ€™s two power play units.

โ€œNo matter what center you are playing with, itโ€™s a good spot,โ€ Rodrigues said. โ€œAll four lines work hard and that is why they have been successful. They wear teams down, play a fast offensive game. I am excited to be a part of it. โ€ฆ

โ€œYou have a full team from top-to-bottom. When I was with Pittsburgh and Colorado, itโ€™s a team you donโ€™t like playing against. Theyโ€™re gritty, they wear you down and come at you in waves.โ€™โ€™

Florida Panthers Free Agency Grades: From Rodrigues to Ekman-Larsson

Rodrigues will be 30 when the new season rolls around and he is excited to introduce his family to his new home.

With the four-year deal, the Rodriguesโ€™ will be able to set down some roots in South Florida as it appears he will be here for a while.

โ€œBill Zito and I had good conversations and this is a place I thought fit me perfectly,โ€ said Rodrigues, whose contract is based mostly on signing bonus money which makes it virtually buyout-proof.

โ€œThere were other teams interested, but Florida checked all the boxes and it was a place my family really wanted to go to.

โ€œI canโ€™t wait to get there and get started. Itโ€™s a great team in a great city and weโ€™re going to compete for the Stanley Cup. Thatโ€™s the most important thing.โ€

FLORIDA PANTHERS ON DECK

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