Meet the Newest New Jersey Devil: Evan Rodrigues

On Tuesday, the New Jersey Devils traded goaltender Jacob Markstrom and forward Angus Crookshank to the Florida Panthers. In exchange, the Devils received forwards Evan Rodrigues, Jesper Boqvist, and Ben Steeves. The Devils boosted their forward group with these additions, but here we will focus on Rodrigues.

Rodrigues Went Undrafted

Rodrigues began his professional hockey career in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), playing for Boston University. He played four seasons there and was named an alternate captain in his senior year in 2014-15. Following his last college season, he signed as a free agent with the Buffalo Sabres.

He spent most of his first season in 2015-16 with the Sabres’ American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Rochester Americans, playing 72 games with 30 points. Rodrigues was called up to play his first NHL game on April 8, 2016 and stayed for the following game on April 9, when he scored his first NHL goal and recorded his first assist.

Rodrigues spent the next two seasons splitting his time between the Sabres and the Americans. It wasn’t until the 2018-19 season that he made it to the NHL full-time, playing 74 games and recording 29 points. However, the Sabres traded him to the Pittsburgh Penguins with Conor Sheary for Dominik Kahun on Feb. 24, 2020. He finished out the season with the Penguins, playing seven games and scoring one goal.

In August 2020, Rodrigues was again traded, this time to the Toronto Maple Leafs along with Filip Hallander, David Warsofsky, and Pittsburgh’s 1st-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft for Kasperi Kapanen, Pontus Aberg, and Jesper Lindgren. He never played for the Maple Leafs, as the Penguins re-signed him as a free agent just two months later.

After sustaining a lower-body injury in the middle of 2020-21, he was limited to 35 games. He finally played his first full season in 2021-22, not missing any games, and recording a career-high 43 points.

Rodrigues Continued to Hit Free Agency

Even though the 2021-22 season was a success, Rodrigues hit the free agent market that offseason, signing a one-year deal with the Colorado Avalanche. He played 69 games with the Avalanche, scoring 16 goals, 23 assists and earning a career-high of 17:51 in average ice time.

He again became a free agent after another strong performance and was only on the market for a day before the Florida Panthers signed him to a four-year deal worth roughly $12 million. He joins the Devils with one year left on his contract worth roughly $3 million before he becomes an unrestricted free agent after next season.

Rodrigues played 80 games in his first season in Florida and recorded 39 points. He also played in 24 postseason games and recorded 15 points, helping the Panthers win their first Stanley Cup. He repeated his success the following season, scoring 32 points in 82 games and 15 points in 21 playoff games en route to the team’s second straight Stanley Cup win. This season, he played 69 games with 31 points.

What Rodrigues Brings to New Jersey

Rodrigues played in the Panthers’ top six, but the Devils have their top six mostly set for next season. He will be a big boost to the bottom six as a seasoned veteran who can help develop the younger players on the team, such as Lenni Hameenaho and Arseny Gritsyuk. As a two-time champion, adding him to the Devils’ lineup should be great motivation in their pursuit of the Cup.