The Penguins have traded Patric Hornqvist to the Florida Panthers after all.
A day after trade talks with the Panthers reportedly stalled due to an insurance issue, the Penguins on Thursday officially sent Hornqvist to Florida. In return for a two-time Stanley Cup winner who scored the deciding goal in the 2017 final, the Penguins received Mike Matheson and Colton Sceviour.
“This was a difficult decision to say goodbye to a terrific person and player in Patric,” Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford said in a statement. “He was a huge part of our success over the last six seasons, including back-to-back Stanley Cup championships, and we wish him nothing but the best.”
Hornqvist joined the Penguins in 2014 as part of Jim Rutherford’s first trade as Pittsburgh’s general manager. He had 132 goals, 132 assists and a plus-51 rating in six seasons with the Penguins. He added 22 goals in 66 playoff games.
Hornqvist, who turns 34 in January, was a rough-and-tumble power forward who took a beating in front of the net on the power play and seemingly mixed it up with somebody after every whistle. That came with a cost. The winger had five stints on the injured reserve and a few documented concussions.
Matheson, 26, is a puck-moving defenseman who had 20 points in 59 games with the Panthers last season. He’s a strong skater and a left-handed shot.
Sceviour, 31, had six goals, 10 assists and a plus-2 rating in 69 games in 2019-20. The right-shot forward also finished third on the Panthers with 91 hits.
“Mike is a young, skilled defenseman with great offensive instincts who plays with speed and has a good shot, while Colton is a solid veteran player who has a lot of experience on the penalty kill,” Rutherford said in the statement.
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