‘Blindsided’ Patric Hornqvist: Easy to waive no-trade clause because Penguins ‘didn’t want me’
Patric Hornqvist said he plans on remaining in Pittsburgh for another month or two before beginning the process of finding a home and a school for his daughters in South Florida.
And while he allowed that Pittsburgh will always hold a place in his heart, the veteran forward indicated it did not take all that much persuasion for him to waive a no-trade clause and allow him to be dealt from the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Florida Panthers.
“It’s a tough situation for me and my family when you get blindsided a little bit,” Hornqvist said during a video call with media Friday afternoon. “When you know you have a no-trade, you don’t think this kind of question is going to come up.”
But it did this week, when the Penguins approached Hornqvist about a proposed deal, one that was ultimately consummated and announced Thursday that netted the Penguins defensemen Mike Matheson and forward Colton Sceviour.
ICYMI: Penguins winger Patric Hornqvist has been traded to the Florida Panthers for defenseman Mike Matheson and forward Colton Sceviour. https://t.co/SlJaQfzrIA
— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) September 25, 2020
Hornqvist carefully considered his contractually earned rights in regards to a trade after being informed that Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford was trying to deal him.
“I really took my time to go through every scenario,” Hornqvist said. “And at the end of the day, it was boiling down to one team really wants you — and the other team doesn’t want you. And that made my decision so much easier.
“I am super excited. I can’t wait to go down to Florida and start playing games and helping the team win.”
Hornqvist, 33 and a 12-year NHL veteran, has three seasons remaining on a five-year contract that pays him $5.3 million annually. He signed it in February 2018, late during his fourth of six seasons with the Penguins. Hornqvist was part of two Stanley Cup-winning teams with the franchise. He had 132 goals and 132 assists during the regular season and 22 goals and 16 assists in postseason play for the Penguins.
Chris Adamski is a TribLive reporter who has covered primarily the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2014 following two seasons on the Penn State football beat. A Western Pennsylvania native, he joined the Trib in 2012 after spending a decade covering Pittsburgh sports for other outlets. He can be reached at cadamski@triblive.com.
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