EL SEGUNDO, Calif. - When Conor Sheary's phone rang with a call from Sabres general manager Jason Botterill on Monday, which was the NHL Trading Deadline, he was feeling anxious.
But once he answered and found out that he had been traded back to Pittsburgh for his second stint with the team, that feeling quickly transformed into one of excitement.
Sheary looking forward to second stint with Pens
"There's a lot of anxiety that went into yesterday just waiting for a phone call," Sheary said. "When I found out it was Pitt, I was super excited I get to come back to a familiar place, familiar faces. I think it's an easy transition for me."
When Penguins goalie Matt Murray heard the news, he immediately shot Sheary a text.
"'Shears' is a great friend of mine," Murray said. "Has been since our Wilkes-Barre days together. I love his wife Jordan, too. They're just really good friends of ours. Of course I was thrilled to have them back. We were roommates back in the day. It's great to have him. I texted him right away. He was pretty happy to come back, too."
At Penguins practice on Tuesday at Toyota Sports Performance Center, Sheary was reunited on a line with his old linemate Sidney Crosby. Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan said the hope is that they can recapture some of the old magic they had in the past.
"He's had success there before," Sullivan said of Sheary. "He brings a speed element. He can finish. He's good in traffic. A lot of the attributes that Conor brings to the table are complimentary to Sid. So, they've had success in the past. We're hoping that they can find some chemistry."
While Murray admitted that it was a little weird at first to see Sheary back in black and gold, the 27-year-old quickly settled back in with the group.
"It's a little different seeing the guys this time around," Sheary said. "You know so many of the guys already and that just made it so much easier for me. I still have really good friends on this team."
"For him I'm sure it shouldn't feel like much has changed," Crosby said. "Familiar practices, similar faces, familiar drills. You know what he brings every night. He has a great work ethic and a lot of speed as well. He's someone that is familiar with the way we play. As a player we know him, as a guy we know him. That should help with the adjustment a little bit."
After helping the Penguins win back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and '17, Sheary was traded to Buffalo in the summer of 2018. He returns to Pittsburgh after spending the last season-and-a-half with the Sabres, where he recorded 53 points (23G-30A) in 133 regular-season games.
He currently has nine goals and 10 assists in 53 games, and is one goal shy of hitting the 10-goal plateau for the fourth-consecutive campaign
"I've had the luxury of being on two teams early on in my career that are in completely different scenarios," Sheary said. "With Buffalo, they're a young team that has to learn a lot. They have a ton of skill. They're on the right path. I think when I got here, we were already a contender and just the difference in that was a big learning experience for me in how to handle both situations. I'll take a lot from that experience."
Sheary was traded to Pittsburgh along with forward Evan Rodrigues in exchange for forward Dominik Kahun.
"It was awesome to just pick his brain," Rodrigues said of traveling to California with Sheary. "He feels comfortable coming right in. it was nice to have him here. We were close friends in Buffalo, so it obviously helped. I didn't find out he was part of the trade until it got on Twitter. When I saw that it was even more exciting. I can't wait for (Wednesday versus Los Angeles), can't wait to get started."
Rodrigues was in his fourth NHL season with Buffalo after signing with the organization as an undrafted free agent following an exceptional collegiate career with Boston University from 2011-15.
Over the course of four seasons, the 26-year-old picked up 121 points (42G-79A) in 146 games. After enjoying a career campaign with Buffalo last year, registering nine goals, 20 assists and 29 points, Rodrigues didn't get off to the start he wanted with the Sabres this year.
"Starting the season as a healthy scratch, you never really get into the groove of things," he said. "You're almost playing not to make a mistake. Since New Year's, since the turn of 2020, I've really turned it on and the puck is starting to go in for me and I'm starting to play the way I know I can play and I'm just looking to continue that."
Rodrigues is a versatile forward who can play any position and in any situation. At today's practice, he centered a line with fellow new Penguin Patrick Marleau on his left wing and Dominik Simon on his right.
"Any way I can contribute, I'm going to come in and do that," Rodrigues said. "I've always prided myself on being versatile. I can play the wing, play center. Play PP, PK. Whatever they need me to do, I'm going to do."
