Published by hockeybuzz.com, 7-21-2019
According to Elliotte Friedman, Buffalo forward Evan Rodrigues is headed towards a arbitration date on Tuesday with a number he's shooting for--$2.65 million per. The Sabres will be headed towards the arbitration table in Toronto with a different figure--$1.5 million per. Rodrigues and the Sabres are coming off of a two-year contract agreed upon under the watch of present Buffalo manager Jason Botterill that paid the 25 yr. old forward an average of $650K/year which means that he should at least double his salary this year.
If the case makes it to the arbitrator, which doesn't happen very often, he or she will need to decide just how much a utility forward like Rodrigues is worth.
The numbers last season weren't overwhelming for the player known as "E-rod" as he managed nine goals and 20 assists in 74 NHL games. His 29 points ranked him tied for eighth on the Sabres in 2018-19 while his minus-7 rating placed him fifth on the team for players playing at least half the season. His top-nine minutes included 12:48/game at even-strength, 1:22 on the powerplay and 1:40 on the penalty which ranked him fourth amongst Sabres forwards. Rodrigues can play any forward position on almost any line outside of top-line center but he's best suited in a bottom-six role and seems to work well as a pivot there.
In looking at his numbers since signing with the Sabres organization in 2015, Rodrigues has shown quietly acclimated himself to the pro game. His first season in Rochester he scored nine goals and 30 points in 71 games and the following season he had those exact same numbers in only 48 games. In his first partial season with Buffalo in 2016-17 Rodrigues had six points (2+4) in 30 games and his next partial season he was good for 25 points (7+18) in 48 games for the Sabres. 2018-19 was his first full NHL season and he played for a coach that ended up getting fired.
How much value does one place on a player who can play multiple roles in all situations?
That's for the arbiter to decide and the Sabres will then need to decide whether they'll accept said decision or walk away.
Having said all that, most NHL cases headed to arbitration are settled beforehand. In 2019 Brock McGinn and the Carolina Hurricanes, who were slated to be the first case to be heard, avoided the process when they agreed to a 2yr./$4.2 million deal. McGinn is bottom-six winger who played on the penalty kill for Carolina. He had one more goal than Rodrigues on a higher shooting percentage (8.1% to 5.4%) and had a much better plus/minus rating at plus-10. However he also played on a much better team than Rodrigues.
In looking at it, a two-year deal for somewhere in the $1.75-2 million range might work for both sides.
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