USA TODAY Sports

Former Penguins Winger Flourishing With Panthers

Originally posted on FanNation Inside The Penguins
By Nicholas Brlansky | Last updated 1/1/24

Finding consistent forward depth has been a challenge for the Pittsburgh Penguins the past few seasons. Jeff Carter is the only bottom-six forward on the Penguins that has been with the organization at the NHL level since 2021-22. Meanwhile, one of his former linemates is having a career season with the Florida Panthers.

Evan Rodrigues had played in parts of four seasons with the Buffalo Sabres to begin his career before joining the Penguins in 2019-20. Rodrigues was in and out of the lineup in Pittsburgh before establishing himself during the 2021-22 season.

Rodrigues stepped up for an injured Penguins team to score 30 points (15G-15A) in the first 33 games of that season. He struggled to find consistency for the remainder of the year, scoring just four goals and 13 points in the final 49 games.

Need a reason to smile as big as Evan Rodrigues?

How about this fact? E-Rod has 14 points in his last nine games (7G-7A). pic.twitter.com/e4VSOobny1
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 7, 2022

His inconsistencies were enough for the Penguins to move on in free agency, letting him walk to the defending champion Colorado Avalanche. Rodrigues filled a similar role in Colorado, sliding into different positions to aid the banged-up Avalanche lineup.

This past offseason, Rodrigues signed a four-year, $12 million contract with the Florida Panthers and has become a household name in his first season with the club. The 30-year-old winger has scored 24 points (7G-17A) in 36 games and has found a home on the Panthers' first forward line with Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart.

That line leads the NHL with a +19 goal differential when on the ice at 5v5 this season. They also rank 5th in the NHL in expected goals percentage (62.1%) among forward lines with at least 150 minutes of ice time.

The Rodrigues-Barkov-Reinhart line leads the league with a +19 goal differential at 5v5, per @EvolvingHockey
— Shayna (@hayyyshayyy) December 30, 2023

Rodrigues is on pace for a career-high 55 points this season, surpassing his 43-point performance with the Penguins in 2021-22. Once seen as a "throw-in" for a trade involving Conor Sheary and Dominik Kahun, Rodrigues has become a bonafide top-six forward for one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference.