The Florida Panthers and Boston Bruins are on two different sides of the league right now. The Panthers are going to try and make another deep run into the postseason and push for their third consecutive Stanley Cup, while the Bruins are trying to rebuild from the ground up after a disastrous 2024-25 campaign.
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While the Panthers were able to keep all of their key pending free agents from leaving, they may be forced to make a cap dump trade when superstar Matthew Tkachuk returns from injury, which may not be until early 2026.
One player whose name has been tossed around in speculation as a potential cap casualty is forward Evan Rodrigues, and if the Panthers need to make a move around Christmas to free up the cap space they require, the Bruins seem like a logical fit for him.
Rodrigues, who is 32 years old, went undrafted out of Boston University and made his NHL debut with the Buffalo Sabres in the 2015-16 season, where he had a goal and an assist through two games. He stayed in the Sabres’ organization until the 2019-20 season, where he ended up joining the Pittsburgh Penguins, where he remained for three seasons. In the 2022-23 season, he played with the Colorado Avalanche and ended up joining the Panthers the following season, having now been part of their first two championship victories in franchise history.
Through 547 games, he has scored 96 goals and added 143 assists for 239 points, which comes out to a 0.44 points-per-game average. Last season, he had 32 points through 82 games. In 61 career playoff games, he has scored 13 goals and added 28 assists for 41 points.
What Would a Trade Look Like?
As always, there are a few things to consider in every trade. This time around, a deal wouldn’t have many obstacles. Rodrigues doesn’t have any trade protection and is extended through the 2026-27 season with a $3 million cap hit. If the Bruins are able to accrue cap space as the season goes along, they should be able to make a deal and take on his full cap hit without having to move any money out.
Rodrigues’ playoff experience combined with his style of play could be exactly what the Bruins are looking for as they try and retool their roster and get back in the playoff picture within the next couple of seasons. They had a fire sale last season and brought in some players that should help them in the future, but if they don’t want to risk upsetting David Pastrnak and want to prove they are ready to get back into contention, bringing in players who cna help them win would be a promising start.
A realistic trade would likely just involve draft picks or a prospect. The Panthers wouldn’t be looking to bring back any money, and while they may not have much leverage if they’re forced to find a way to create cap space, the Bruins could still end up paying a pretty penny to bring him in. I would assume the Panthers end up trading Rodrigues in exchange for Riley Tufte, a 2028 third-round pick and a 2026 fourth-round pick.
Tufte is on a two-way deal which allows him to pass through waivers without the risk of being claimed, and the Panthers could utilize him as an extra depth forward for the playoffs, and as a top-six forward in the American Hockey League (AHL). Both teams benefit from a deal like this, and while the belief is the Panthers don’t want to move Rodrigues as a cap dump, they may not have a choice.
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Salary cap data courtesy of PuckPedia.
