The Florida Panthers made a key addition in free agency on Sunday after a recent trade, adding forward Evan Rodrigues on a four-year contract. The deal has an average annual value of $3 million, per NHL insider Elliotte Friedman.

Rodrigues spent this past season with the Colorado Avalanche after a career year with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2021-22. Rodrigues appeared in all 82 games with the Penguins in his final season there, racking up a career-high 19 goals and 43 points. That earned him a one-year deal from the Avalanche, who were coming off a Stanley Cup win.

The 29-year-old then had another strong season with Colorado. While he didn't play in all 82 games, he appeared in 69 and still nearly matched his totals from the year before. Rodrigues had 16 goals and 39 points in 2022-23. The new Panthers forward scored five points in seven games in each of the last two postseasons.

Rodrigues will provide a nice punch for the Panthers, especially on the power play. He scored six power-play goals last season with the Avalanche and had seven the year before with Pittsburgh. This signing comes on the heels of Florida trading forward Anthony Duclair to the San Jose Sharks. The Panthers get more long-term stability by replacing Duclair with Rodrigues and his four-year contract.

Florida is coming off a Cinderella playoff run after making the playoffs as a No. 8 seed. The Panthers made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final, only to get manhandled by the Vegas Golden Knights in five games.