Panthers 'checked a lot of the boxes' for Evan Rodrigues

Evan Rodrigues had more than a few things on his checklist heading into free agency.

After playing the majority of his career on short-term deals, the 29-year-old forward wanted to find stability, but without having to sacrifice his ultimate goal -- a chance win. With a wife and two young boys at home, he also wanted to find a nice place to settle down and raise a family.

Taking a look at the Florida Panthers, he saw a team that could offer pretty much everything he wanted.

"It was a place that I thought fit perfectly for me," said Rodrigues, who inked a four-year deal with the Panthers on Sunday roughly 24 hours after the NHL's free agency period had opened. "There were other teams interested, but I just thought that Florida checked a lot of the boxes.

"It's a place that we were really excited about and my family really wanted to go to. We're really excited. I can't wait to get down there and get started. It's a great team and a great city. It's a team that's going to contend for a Stanley Cup, and that's kind of the most important thing."

With a spot opening up among Florida's forward group after Anthony Duclair was dealt to the San Jose Sharks on Saturday, Rodrigues projects as a player that can not only step into those shoes, but also bring his own unique blend of speed, skill and tenacity to the ice every contest.

Seeing a spike in his production over the past two seasons, Rodrigues followed up a 43-point campaign with Pittsburgh in 2021-22 with 16 goals and 23 assists in 69 games with Colorado this past season. Over the last two seasons, he's also produced 10 points in 14 playoff games.

A self-described "perfect fit" for the Panthers, he also loves to forecheck.

"I'm a guy who likes to play fast, kind of be first on the forecheck," said Rodrigues, who logged 34 hits and 29 takeaways with the Avalanche in 2022-23. "A big part of my game is my compete-level. It's something I've done since I got to the NHL. It's something that I rely on. Even when things aren't going well, as long as I put the work in and compete, the rest will take care of itself."

While he's shown he can play on the penalty kill when called upon, Rodrigues' work on the power play has quickly become one of his best assets in terms of special teams. With a powerful one-timer at his disposal, he operates well off the half-wall and terrorizes goalies with his shot from the left circle.

Over the past two seasons, he's scored 13 goals on the man advantage.

"I think the biggest thing is that I really started focusing on my one-timers," said Rodrigues, who buried 24% of his shots on the power play last season. "I've gotten comfortable playing the half-wall on that side. … I think I'm really starting to become more effective and more dynamic."

In addition to his ability to put the puck in the back of the net in all situations, Rodrigues has evolved into an impressive driver of play. In 2022-23, the Avalanche controlled 55.94% of shot attempts and 54.10% of expected goals when he was on the ice 5-on-5, per Natural Stat Trick.

While he's shown the ability to man the middle when called upon, Rodrigues, whose versatility makes him somewhat of a Swiss Army knife, will most likely end up playing on the wing somewhere within Florida's top-nine flanking either Aleksander Barkov, Sam Bennett or Anton Lundell.

"No matter what center you're playing with, you're in a good spot," Rodrigues said with a smile. "All four lines compete and work hard and I think that's why they're successful. They wear teams down. They play a fast game. It's something that I'm definitely excited to be a part of."

A former teammate of both Sam Reinhart and Brandon Montour during their shared time together in Buffalo, Rodrigues said he's looking forward to reconnecting with some familiar faces while also getting to meet a whole lot of new ones prior to the start of the season.

After watching the Panthers fall just three wins short of hoisting the Stanley Cup earlier this summer, he's now eager to be a part of the team's push back to the postseason in 2023-24 and beyond.

"You always like to join a contender and a team that's pushing for a Stanley Cup," Rodrigues said. "They obviously got really close last year. I'm just trying to come in and help the team kind of get over that hump and hopefully win a Stanley Cup with them."