The terms of Rodrigues' contract were based on an independent arbitrator's ruling following the forward's salary arbitration hearing Tuesday.
Rodrigues, 25, enjoyed his best NHL season in 2018-19, recording career highs with nine goals and 29 points over 74 games. The 5-foot-10 winger has tallied 21 goals and 62 points in 154 contests since signing with Buffalo out of Boston University in 2015.
The Sabres now have a projected $3.1 million in available cap space, with restricted free agents Linus Ullmark and Jake McCabe in need of new contracts, according to CapFriendly.
Schmaltz, 25, recorded two assists in 20 regular-season contests with the Blues last season. He contributed nine points in 36 games at the AHL level with the San Antonio Rampage.
The 24-year-old Borgman made 45 appearances with the AHL's Toronto Marlies, tallying four goals and 17 points. The 6-foot rearguard has 48 games of NHL experience, recording three goals and 11 points with the Maple Leafs during the 2017-18 season.
Wilson contributed eight points in 50 games for the Pittsburgh Penguins last season and added one goal in four playoff contests. The 28-year-old was selected by the Florida Panthers with the 107th overall pick of the 2009 NHL Draft.
Aberg, 25, appeared in 37 games with the Anaheim Ducks in 2018-19, tallying 11 goals and 19 points before being traded to the Minnesota Wild, where he recorded six points in 22 contests.
The 26-year-old Shore spent last season with Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the KHL. The 6-foot-1 forward previously spent four seasons in the NHL and recorded 53 points over 236 career games.
Wilson contributed eight points in 50 games for the Pittsburgh Penguins last season and added one goal in four playoff contests. The 28-year-old was selected by the Florida Panthers with the 107th overall pick of the 2009 NHL Draft.
Aberg, 25, appeared in 37 games with the Anaheim Ducks in 2018-19, tallying 11 goals and 19 points before being traded to the Minnesota Wild, where he recorded six points in 22 contests.
The 26-year-old Shore spent last season with Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the KHL. The 6-foot-1 forward previously spent four seasons in the NHL and recorded 53 points over 236 career games.
The NHL season is a grind, and even some of the top talents are bound to endure a mediocre year or two. Several factors can result in a player taking a step back, including injuries, coaching, or just sheer bad luck.
Here are five players whose pedestrian 2018-19 seasons should be followed by a strong campaign to end the decade:
William Nylander
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This time around, Nylander's season will begin in October with the rest of his teammates. The talented winger didn't join the Maple Leafs until December last season following a prolonged contract negotiation, and he didn't score until Jan. 3.
Nylander's late start proved costly, but the lack of production that followed wasn't entirely on him. The then 22-year-old wasn't put in the best position to succeed while spending a head-scratching amount of time playing alongside inferior teammates on the Leafs' bottom-six forward group. His average ice time decreased both at five-on-five and on the power play, and his hapless 5.4 shooting percentage is likely to balance out.
As the season progressed, Nylander slowly began to return to form. He tallied 20 points over his final 33 games - a 54-point pace during a full regular season that would have nearly mirrored his 61-point output in each of the previous two campaigns.
The Leafs would be wise to reunite the dynamic duo of Nylander and Auston Matthews. Since entering the league, Nylander has been an elite puck-possession player, and pairing his skill set with a natural goal-scorer like Matthews has led to favorable results.
Jamie Benn
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The Stars' captain saw his production plummet by 26 points in 2018-19, and he missed the 30-goal mark for just the second time in the last six seasons. Benn recorded just 321 shot attempts, his lowest total over a full regular season since 2010-11.
The 29-year-old's poor season can largely be attributed to low output and opportunities with the man advantage. The Stars received the third-fewest power plays in the league last season, and Benn's 11 power-play points mark his worst total in six campaigns.
Despite that regression, the 2014-15 Art Ross Trophy winner has been consistent throughout his 10-year career, and the Stars' improved offense should help him bounce back.
Benn and Tyler Seguin have carried much of the load for a Dallas team that's lacked forward depth recently. But signing premier goal-scorer Joe Pavelski and veteran winger Corey Perry this offseason bolstered the offense.
The Stars are now better equipped to match up against opposing shutdown lines, and Benn should get more room to operate. The two new additions should also boost the club's ailing power play, as Pavelski's 12 goals in 2018-19 with the man advantage would have led the Stars last season.
Patrik Laine
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On the surface, it's tough to criticize a 30-goal season, but Laine's inconsistent play throughout the 2018-19 campaign was remarkable. The Finnish sniper exploded for 18 goals in November, putting him at 21 come Dec. 1. But then he struggled throughout the latter half of the season while scoring just nine goals, with only four coming at even strength over the Winnipeg Jets' final 58 contests.
The 6-foot-5 winger isn't the strongest skater, but his ability to find open areas in the offensive zone and beat netminders with his lightning-quick release makes him special. Laine is a finisher, and most players of his ilk need a reliable playmaker alongside them to maximize their potential.
Last season, the pairing of Laine and declining center Brian Little was almost an exclusive fixture for Winnipeg. Laine played with Little at five-on-five for 623 minutes - 168 more than in 2017-18. The Jets owned a share of just 41.07 percent of high-danger scoring chances when Laine was on the ice - an ugly mark for a team's best natural scorer. Giving him more opportunities alongside blue-chip center Mark Scheifele, or even the young and promising Jack Roslovic, could help lift Laine's production next season.
The 21-year-old began to produce in the playoffs this past spring, scoring three goals in typical fashion and adding one assist over six contests. Following the season, Laine revealed he was battling a back injury for most of the campaign, which could have hindered his performance more than his critics realized.
James Neal
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Neal signed a five-year, $28.75-million deal with the Flames ahead of last season. The veteran scorer then slotted in nicely beside Sean Monahan on the Flames' top line, but the emergence of newcomer Elias Lindholm, combined with Neal's rough start, bumped him down the lineup and into unfamiliar territory as a depth forward.
For the first time in his 11-year career, Neal failed to reach the 20-goal mark, and he logged under 15 mins per game. In the playoffs, Neal, who had appeared in back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals as a member of the Nashville Predators and Vegas Golden Knights, watched from the press box as a healthy scratch in Game 5 of Round 1 when his team was eliminated.
The 31-year-old posted a career-low shooting percentage of 0.05 while spending most of last season on a line with depth center Mark Jankowski and seeing limited power play time with the top unit. Slotting him into a power play featuring McDavid, the world's top talent, could be invaluable for both Neal and the Oilers.
Rickard Rakell
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Rakell notched 33 goals in 2016-17 and followed up his breakout season with a career-best 34-goal, 61-point campaign. In 2018-19, however, Rakell battled through injuries, and his goal total was cut nearly in half during a season to forget for the Anaheim Ducks.
Following a dismal 2-15-4 stretch, Randy Carlyle was relieved of his head coaching duties, and general manager Bob Murray took over behind the bench. Rakell scored just nine times in his first 54 contests of the season, mostly under Carlyle, but then he matched that total with Murray as the bench boss over his final 15 games. The Ducks hired Dallas Eakins as their new head coach this offseason, offering Rakell a much-needed fresh start.
The 6-foot-1 winger also missed his co-stars last season. Corey Perry didn't join the team until February following knee surgery, and captain Ryan Getzlaf missed 15 games with injuries of his own. With Perry out of the picture and a young core getting its chance to emerge in Anaheim, Rakell should be able to bounce back in a larger role.
The Nashville Predators and restricted free-agent forward Colton Sissons have avoided arbitration by agreeing to a seven-year, $20-million contract, the team announced on Tuesday.
The deal carries an average annual value of about $2.85 million.
Sissons, who was scheduled for arbitration on July 26, becomes the 21st player this summer to settle a deal before their meeting date.
The 25-year-old tallied a career-high 15 goals and 30 points in 75 games for the Predators last season.
Nashville's 50th overall pick at the 2012 NHL Draft, Sissons has recorded 37 goals and 77 points in 265 career contests.
Long-term contracts with low average annual values are rare in the NHL, but this isn't the first time Predators general manager David Poile has signed a player to such a deal. In 2016, he inked forward Calle Jarnkrok to a six-year, $12-million pact.
The 24-year-old forward recorded eight goals and 17 points for the Penguins last season while being limited to 43 games due to a broken hand.
"Zach is a responsible player who plays a solid two-way game," said Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford. "He has a heavy style of play that is especially effective on the forecheck and penalty kill."
After being named a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award due to his dominance at the collegiate level with Northeastern University, Aston-Reese signed a two-year, entry-level contract with Pittsburgh ahead of the 2017-18 season.
The Penguins are now $157,000 above the cap ceiling of $81.5 million with a full 23-man roster, according to CapFriendly. However, teams can exceed the cap by 10 percent during the offseason. The Vegas Golden Knights and New York Rangers are the only other teams currently above the ceiling.
Jarome Iginla may have a future as an NHL team ambassador.
The Calgary Flames' all-time leading scorer helped his former club acquire Milan Lucic from the Edmonton Oilers in a trade for James Neal on Friday. Lucic chose to waive the no-movement clause in his contract after chatting with Iginla about his potential new home.
"I had a really good talk with Jarome," Lucic said, according to NHL.com. "He told me what a great hockey town Calgary is, how much the people are behind the Flames. It's a fan base that loves seeing effort. They obviously want to win, but regardless, they love the heart-and-soul guys, the guys who give their all, who don't compromise, which I like to think speaks to the way I play."
Iginla played 1,219 games over 16 seasons with the Flames. He was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins ahead of the 2013 trade deadline, and the 6-foot-1 winger then joined the Boston Bruins on a one-year deal ahead of the 2013-14 campaign.
"Jarome and I got to know each other really well the year we played together in Boston," Lucic said. "We were linemates, we shared a lot of stories, went out to dinner together a lot. … I like to think he knows me pretty well and that's why he took time out of his day to give me a call and help me with my decision. And he did help me make up my mind."
Lucic tallied 59 points on a line with Iginla that year - a mark he hasn't achieved since. It's unlikely the 31-year-old will be able to return to that level of production, but after a career-low six goals and 20 points with the Oilers last season, a fresh start may serve him well.
The deal is worth $1.9 million in Year 1 and $2.3 million in Year 2.
McGinn's arbitration hearing was scheduled for Saturday- the first official day of meetings.
The 25-year-old winger contributed 10 goals and 26 points in 82 games last season and added six points in 15 playoff contests.
It's common for the team and player to reach an agreement before arbitration. Last summer, 40 of 44 players ultimately signed with their respective teams before reaching their hearing dates. This summer, McGinn marks the 13th player to sign before their scheduled meeting.
Edmonton will retain some of Lucic's salary and include a conditional draft pick, Friedman adds.
Each player has four years remaining on his current deal. Lucic carries an average annual value of $6 million and Neal has a $5.75-million cap hit per season.
The deal offers fresh starts for two veteran talents coming off career-low campaigns. Neal struggled in his first season with the Flames, recording just seven goals and 19 points in 63 games, while Lucic mustered only six goals and 20 points in 79 games with the Oilers.
