Rodrigues is happy he stayed with Penguins
Forward collects points in place of injured mates
SEATTLE — In the aftermath of the postseason loss to the New York Islanders in May, Evan Rodrigues wasn’t sure if he would be back in Pittsburgh this season.
For one, the forward was a healthy scratch for the final four games of that series, the second year in a row he was in a snazzy suit when the Penguins were eliminated. He wasn’t sure where he stood with the team when the summer began.
And two, did he even want to re-sign with them anyway? Or would he be better off heading elsewhere, with a clean slate and a less daunting depth chart?
“Yeah, that crossed my mind,” Rodrigues said after Sunday’s practice at the Kraken Community Iceplex, sweat dripping from his chin as he leaned on his sticks.
“But a lot of it is opportunity. And [Mike Sullivan] is a straight shooter and I respect that a lot. Just in the conversations with him, it just felt like this was the right place for me. It was one of those gut decisions. And it’s worked out so far.”
Has it ever. Rodrigues has been one of the NHL’s biggest bargains so far.
His eight goals and 16 points both rank second on the Penguins. The top line hasn’t missed a beat with Rodrigues filling in for the injured Bryan Rust. And he has become a key cog on a power play that is suddenly one of the league’s hottest.
Not bad for a former undrafted free agent who accepted a $1 million contract from the Penguins — and no guarantees from Sullivan and the coaching staff.
His role uncertain entering training camp, Rodrigues took advantage of the early absences of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin to seize a spot in the top six.
Five games into the season, he had three goals, five points and a plus-4 rating.
“I think starting off on the right foot kind of gave me that confidence to continue to play my game,” Rodrigues said. “Confidence is a really big part of this game. It might be the biggest part, actually. Obviously, you have to have the talent. But when your confidence is high, you become a completely different player.”
He started the season as the team’s second- line center. Crushed it. He got minutes with Crosby and Jake Guentzel. Smashed that opportunity, too. And he was highly effective even when he was with Danton Heinen and Dominik Simon.
No matter whom he is playing with, the Penguins are winning those minutes.
Consider this: The Penguins have had eight line combinations that played at least 35 minutes at 5-on-5, per MoneyPuck. Each of the top three in terms of expected goals percentage (xG%) was Rodrigues with a different set of two linemates.
Take it beyond the team level, and it’s even more striking. Two of those Rodrigues trios rank in the top three in the league in xG% among the 91 lines that have logged at least 75 minutes together. That includes Pittsburgh’s current first line.
“I just think it’s indicative of his hockey IQ,” Sullivan said in reference to that. “He’s a really smart player. He’s got good instincts. I think he knows how to work with his respective linemates and play to their strengths, whatever those are.”
When he centered a line with Jason Zucker and Kasperi Kapanen, Rodrigues would often lug the puck through the middle as they screamed down the wings.
“Playing in the middle with those two, they’re both so fast and they love getting the puck on the wing and making plays,” he said. “So I just tried to carry it through the middle and draw in a defender so I could then kick it out to them.”
Or, as he did on one savvy play in October, just fire the puck into the far corner and allow one of them to skate behind the defense then swoop in to scoop it up.
But with Crosby and Guentzel, he will try to dish the puck to them right away.
“They’re quick- strike players. They don’t do much east-west movement. A lot of it is get pucks and go. Because if you hang onto it, you get left behind,” he said. “I’ve just been trying to make those little plays and get my feet going north.”
One daring dish Rodrigues made in Saturday’s 4-1 win in Vancouver showed just how high his confidence is right now. During the first period, the puck got chipped up to him on the right wall, near his defensive blue line. He waited a beat, sucked in a Canucks forward then passed it between his legs to Guentzel.
“I was trying to protect it and just get the guy on my [butt]. I saw him coming,” he said, chuckling. “I knew that they were gone as long as I got it out there.”
Guentzel couldn’t finish the 2-on-1 at the other end, but what a play that was.
In the third period, Rodrigues made another subtle play along the boards to set up Crosby’s goal. He hustled over to win a puck battle, prying the puck out and passing to the point. Seconds later, Crosby tapped in Kris Letang’s back-door feed.
The trio of Guentzel, Crosby and Rodrigues, after getting two even-strength goals Saturday, now ranks third in the league with an eye-popping xG% of 69.3.
So, yeah, the Penguins are feeling pretty fortunate right now that the 28-year-old turned down overtures from a couple of other teams and stuck with Sullivan.
“It was a tough decision,” Rodrigues admits.
“Obviously, it’s your career that you’re fighting for at that point. But I think every offseason, it just kind of comes down to the opportunity that’s there for me — as long as I take advantage of it.”