PITTSBURGH (AP) — Patric Hornqvist’s grit helped the Pittsburgh Penguins win a pair of Stanley Cups. To maintain their championship window opened, they determined it was time to maneuver on with out him.

The Penguins traded the 33-year-old ahead to Florida on Thursday in alternate for Mike Matheson and ahead Colton Sceviour.

Hornqvist spent six seasons in Pittsburgh after being acquired in a 2014 commerce that despatched James Neal to Nashville. Recognized for his hard-nosed play across the web, Hornqvist scored 132 objectives in 407 video games for the Penguins and added 22 extra within the playoffs, together with 14 throughout Pittsburgh’s run to consecutive Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017.

Hornqvist handled well being points – together with concussions – close to the tip of his run in Pittsburgh. He was restricted to 52 video games throughout the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 season and his 17 objectives marked his fewest since 2012-13. He has three years left on a five-year, $26.5-million contract extension he signed in February 2018.

”It is a onerous one,” Penguins basic supervisor Jim Rutherford stated. ”He was the primary man I acquired once I got here to Pittsburgh and he is performed a giant function within the success of the workforce through the years he was right here, particularly the 2 Stanley Cup years. He modified the tradition.”

The 26-year-old Matheson and the 31-year-old Sceviour be part of a membership smarting after a second straight abrupt postseason exit. The Penguins had been surprised in 4 video games by Montreal within the qualifying spherical of the Stanley Cup match and are 1-9 of their final 10 playoff video games. Whereas Rutherford insists the championship window stays open across the core of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, the workforce wanted to get youthful and quicker. Matheson satisfies each necessities.

”We talked about getting youthful, making some modifications, attempting to transition on the fly if that is potential on this league,” Rutherford stated. ”We had the prospect to get younger D-man that has a excessive ability degree and a right-winger that is participant and performs his function very effectively.”

Matheson had eight objectives and 12 assists in 59 video games for the Panthers this season whereas Sceviour completed with six objectives and 10 assists as a bottom-six ahead. Whereas Rutherford expects each to make an affect on the ice, he would not anticipate them to fill the function within the dressing room that the favored Hornqvist stuffed for therefore lengthy.

”There is not any query we’ll miss his management, and we’ll miss him,” Rutherford stated. ”He is among the very high character gamers in our league. Once you miss a participant like that, different gamers should fill within the hole.”

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