Perhaps one of the Penguins' biggest offensive catalysts during the back-to-back Stanley Cups of 2016 and 2017 has played his last game in a black and gold sweater.
The team announced on Thursday that they had traded right winger Patric Hornqvist to the Florida Panthers, in exchange f0r defenseman Mike Matheson and center Colton Sceviour.
The trade confirms a report that was first made on Wednesday by NHL Network's Kevin Weekes.
Hornqvist, 33, was acquired by the Penguins from the Nashville Predators in June of 2014, in exchange for left winger James Neal and center Nick Spaling.
In six seasons with Pittsburgh, Hornqvist averaged 22 goals and 22 assists per season, posting 51 points in each of his first two seasons with the Penguins. During the abbreviated 2019-2020 regular season, Hornqvist played in 52 of the team's 69 games, registering 17 goals and 15 assists.
Hornqvist will perhaps be remembered for some of his memorable goals during the Stanley Cup Runs of 2016 and 2017.
In 2016, Hornqvist scored an overtime winner in game four of the Eastern Conference Semifinals versus the Washington Capitals, a series that the Penguins would win in six games. He also scored the empty-net goal in the Penguins' 3-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks in game six of the Stanley Cup Final.
In a 2-0 game seven victory in the 2017 Eastern Conference Semifinals, again versus the Washington Capitals, Hornqvist scored the insurance goal early in the third period.
He will always be remembered for his goal in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Nashville Predators, in which he broke a 0-0 deadlock by banking a puck off the back of Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne and into the back of the net. Fellow Swede Carl Hagelin would add an empty-net goal, and the Penguins secured their second consecutive Stanley Cup.
What the Penguins will miss in trading Hornqvist is his persistent pestering of opposing goaltenders and players, while also losing a vocal locker-room leader. The trade makes sense, however, as Hornqvist is on the backend of his career and has not played up to the expectations the Penguins set for him when rewarding him with a 5-year, $26 million contract in February of 2018.
Matheson, 26, recorded 20 points (8 G, 12 A) in 59 games for Florida during the 2019-2020 regular season. He was a miserable -24 during the 2018-2019 campaign, but he did register a career-best 27 points in both 2017-2018 (10 G, 17 A) and 2018-2019 (8 G, 19 A).
Sceviour, 31, played in all 69 of the Panthers' regular-season games prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, tallying six goals and 10 assists. His career-high in points came in 2014-2015 when Sceviour, a member of the Dallas Stars at the time, posted nine goals and 17 assists.
While the Penguins do continue to add speed/depth and build a younger team, they also lose one of the most beloved Penguins in recent memory.
Both the Penguins and Panthers qualified for the NHL's 24-team-return-to-play format, but each was eliminated in four games by the Montreal Canadiens and New York Islanders, respectively.
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