Pittsburgh – Evan Rodriguez went back to where he was at one point.
The Pittsburgh Penguins signed the 27-year-old forward on Friday to a 700 700,000 one-year deal that brought him to Pittsburgh as part of a trade that sent him to Toronto via Pittsburgh.
The Penguins originally acquired Rodriguez from Buffalo in February with Dominic Kahun sending riggers to Rodriguez and Connor Street. Rodriguez scored one goal in seven games during the first match against Pidsburgh.
The Penguins also signed a one-year, જ 700,000 contract with Mark Jankonowski and forwarded a 700 700,000 two-way contract to Josh Curry.
Jankowski spent the first four years of his career in Calgary, where he scored 36 goals in 208 games to go with 28 assists. Turning 28 at the end of this month, Currie appeared in 21 games for Edmonton during the 2018-19 season and spent last year with the American Hockey League’s Bakersfield Condor.
Pittsburgh are in the midst of a minor reset after a dismal four-game loss to Montreal in the qualifying round of the playoffs. General Manager Jim R. Ford clarified after the loss to Canadians that the roster had undergone excessive changes, and has been creative with it ever since.
The team is less inclined to spend in free agency and instead focuses on flooding the trade market. The Penguins have partnered with two-time Stanley Cup winners Patrick Hornquist and Matt Murray in recent weeks.
“I think we’re moving forward,” Rutherford said. “Other teams are also moving forward. We’re not going to stop now.”
Rutherford said he envisioned Rodriguez and Jankowski working on the third line with the same ared Red McCain. Pittsburgh will continue to explore in-depth options on defense, especially for right-handed shots.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
.
