Profiling the Newest Toronto Maple Leafs from the Kapanen Trade

Evan Rodrigues

Evan Rodrigues is an interesting acquisition. He’s a player who took the long route to the NHL having played Junior A with the Georgetown Raiders before getting his degree at Boston University.

In the NCAA, scouts saw Rodrigues potential while he was a senior. He finished that season second in scoring to his linemate Jack Eichel. Rodrigues recorded 61 points in 41 games. This helped him as an undrafted free agent.

Rodrigues signed with the Buffalo Sabres where he bounced back and forth between the Rochester Americans in the AHL and their big club. In 2018-19, he finally became a full-time NHLer.

He played 74 games and scored 9 goals and 20 assists that season. He followed that up with a less productive season. He played 38 games and picked up nine points before the Sabres flipped him to the Penguins with Conor Sheary for Dominik Kahun. Rodrigues played just seven games for the Pens, where he scored one goal.

Rodrigues is apparently someone who the Maple Leafs specifically targetted. He wasn’t just a throw-in as a part of the six-player deal.

The hope for Rodrigues should be that he is able to get into the lineup by playing in the Leafs bottom six, although it doesn’t seem like he is better than options the team already has like Nic Petan, Adam Brooks or Garrett Wilson.   The 5’11” 27 year old center should get a chance to prove that he can be a valuable contributor to the team, if he signs.

The biggest obstacle for Toronto getting Rodrigues in their lineup is his contract situation. He is currently a restricted free agent. This means that Dubas will need to negotiate a new contract with him in order to ensure that the center gets the opportunity to dress for the Leafs.