Still, the potential for change was there, and Rust admitted he didn’t want to leave. Otherwise, the team looks relatively similar. They’ve added forwards Brock McGinn, Dominik Simon and Danton Heinen, and they traded forward Jared McCann to the Toronto Maple Leafs before he was taken by the Seattle Kraken at the 2021 Expansion Draft, where he will join former Penguins forward Brandon Tanev. Ultimately, Pittsburgh didn’t change much this offseason (or at least haven’t yet). Desire to Remain in PittsburghĪfter the Penguins lost to the New York Islanders in the first round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Rust was asked if he was afraid of a possible change and if he would be part of that change after Pittsburgh failed to advance past the opening round in three consecutive postseasons. However, Guentzel had 23 goals in 2020-21 compared to Rust’s 22 goals, so it’s fair to say Rust deserves more than $3.5 million per year. Speaking of Guentzel, he makes $6 million per year and probably deserves more than Rust because he’s three years younger and a proven point-per-game player. Rust then had 42 points (22 goals, 20 assists) in 2020-21 and joined linemate Jake Guentzel as the only Penguins to play all 56 games. However, that changed in 2019-20 when he put up 56 points (27 goals, 29 assists) in 55 games before the NHL shut down because of COVID-19 he was on pace to crack 40 goals and 83 points in a full 82-game schedule. That remained true in the first season after he signed his new contract, scoring 18 goals and 17 assists. He was coming off a career year with 38 points (13 goals, 25 assists) in 69 games in the 2017-18 season after scoring 15 goals with 28 points the previous season.īryan Rust, Pittsburgh Penguins ( Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)įour seasons into his NHL career, Rust settled into his role as a versatile forward, capable of moving up and down the lineup and with the potential to score 20 goals. On June 26, 2018, the Penguins re-signed Rust to a four-year, $14 million ($3.5 million average annual value) contract. But while Malkin and Letang have a much higher profile, Rust’s potential extension is just as important to the team moving forward. We’re now about halfway through the month, which means we should hear some news soon. The two-time Stanley Cup champion is set to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2021-2022 season, but it shouldn’t and likely won’t get to that point.Īfter free agency opened on July 28, general manager Ron Hextall said he would get around to offering contract extensions to Rust, center Evgeni Malkin and defenseman Kris Letang in August. Bryan Rust may not get much play outside of Pittsburgh, but the 29-year-old right-winger is vital to prolonging Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby’s prime. Nothing is guaranteed for Rust past this upcoming season, though.
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