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Making the Case for the Winnipeg Jets to Sign Evan Rodrigues

By Kieran Hurley

Dec 14, 2021; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Evan Rodrigues (9) takes the ice against the Montreal Canadiens during the first period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 14, 2021; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Evan Rodrigues (9) takes the ice against the Montreal Canadiens during the first period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Winnipeg Jets will be missing some reliable forwards, from last season, for this upcoming 2022-2023 season as some of their mainstays have departed in free agency.

Kevin Cheveldayoff and the Winnipeg Jets front office will look to fill the void that Paul Stastny has left and they are still looking to fill the void that Andrew Copp left when he was traded to the New York Rangers at the 2022 trade deadline.

With just a couple of weeks until the Jets’ training camp begins, there are still some attractive free agent options for the Jets to sign to complete their depth chart.

One exciting player still available as an unrestricted free agent is Evan Rodrigues and he can be an excellent fit for the Winnipeg Jets.

Evan Rodrigues could be a good signing for the Winnipeg Jets for the upcoming season

Rodrigues is a right-handed shot who also plays the right wing and can play center. The reason why that is important is because currently, the Jets have a lack of right-handed shots on their roster. The three righties the Jets have are Blake Wheeler, Mark Scheifele, and Mason Appleton.

The twenty-nine-year-old also showed last season, with the Pittsburgh Penguins, that he can play anywhere in the depth chart. He had a career year playing with Sidney Crosby last season as he scored nineteen goals and added twenty-four assists.

This would allow Rick Bowness to slot Rodrigues anywhere in the lineup. He can be an interesting fit with the likes of Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele, or Pierre-Luc Dubois or he can be a valuable bottom-six role player.

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Rodrigues is coming off a one-year contract with a salary of $1,000,000 and his last contract before that was also a one-year deal with a cap hit of $700,000.

It will be interesting to see what Rodrigues’ salary expectations are considering he is coming off of a career year with the Penguins.

*After this article was published, Rodrigues signed a one-year contract with the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Colorado Avalanche*

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