Rodrigues: ‘We’re going to try and skate teams into the ground’

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. – Evan Rodrigues isn’t afraid of a little hard work.

After surviving a long morning of intense skating and battle drills on the opening day of training camp at the Panthers IceDen on Thursday, the feisty forward said the up-tempo session was exactly what he had expected after signing a four-year deal with the Panthers this summer.

“We’re going to work, that’s kind of the team’s identity,” the 30-year-old veteran said. “On the forecheck and heavy on the backcheck. We’re going to try and skate teams into the ground. I thought we had a good first day. We did a lot of that today, and we’ll continue to do that.”

It’s also that style of play that drew him to the Panthers.

A ferocious forechecker with speed to burn, Rodrigues produced 16 goals and 23 assists in 69 games with Colorado this past season. The season before that, he logged 43 points (19 goals, 24 assists) in 82 games with Pittsburgh while also finishing 34^th in voting for the Selke Trophy.

“Exactly,” Rodrigues said when asked about the similarities between his own playstyle and that of the Panthers. “That’s why I signed here. I thought it was a perfect fit for me. It’s fast-paced, it’s skilled, it’s hard. We compete hard, but we play a lot with the puck because of it. It’s nice when you put the work in and get results. That’s what we’ll try to do here throughout the year.”

As far as first impressions go, Panthers head coach Paul Maurice liked what he saw from Rodrigues on Day 1.

“You can see through the first day when he was able to get through that that he’s a very fit man,” said Maurice, who is heading into his second season behind the bench in South Florida. “We know the hard work is something that got him into the NHL. He’s a little bit like a number of our players where he did have to scratch and claw a little bit to get established. He’s also played with some very high-end players. He has that ability. We can move him in all three positions up and down the lineup. He can complement, and drive at times, lines with very skilled players.”

While there’s nothing set in stone on the first day of training camp, Rodrigues did find himself in an enviable position during his first practice as a Panther. Over the course of the hour-and-a-half session, he lined up alongside superstar captain Aleksander Barkov on more than one occasion.

A tandem that certainly makes sense on paper, their early chemistry was evident.

“He’s such a smart, complete player,” Rodrigues said of Barkov, a big point producer and perennial contender for the Selke. “He does all the little things on top of being a lead offensively and defensively. We were having fun out there today, and hopefully we’ll continue to do that.”

No stranger to flanking an elite centerman like Barkov, Rodrigues has previously played on lines with other All-Star pivots like Nathan MacKinnon in Colorado and Sidney Crosby in Pittsburgh.

Given Barkov’s penchant for passing and otherworldly on-ice vision, Rodrigues knows that if he can find some open space on the ice that the fantastic Finn will make sure to get him the puck.

“Playing my off-side, you can kind of open up for (one-timers),” said Rodrigues, who’s amassed 35 goals over the last two seasons, not including his four in the playoffs. “If I can get open, he’s going to find me. He has the vision to make plays all over the ice. We’ll continue to work on it and hopefully get some chemistry.”

While there’s still a ways to go until lines are locked in for Opening Night on Oct. 12 at Minnesota, Rodrigues feels his first day as a Panther couldn’t have gone much better.

“Every guy compete and pushes each other to be better,” he said. “That’s usually when you have a successful team.”