Bryan Rust is one of the Pittsburgh Penguins best players and a two-time Stanley Cup champion. Trading him seems unlikely at this point.
We continue with our “keep or trade” look at potential trade chips for the Pittsburgh Penguins by examining the case of forward Bryan Rust.
Previous entries:
Trade or keep: Rickard Rakell
Trade or keep: Kevin Hayes
Trade or keep: Michael Bunting
Bryan Rust’s Pittsburgh Penguins career has been one of the more pleasant surprises in the recent history of the franchise.
He did not arrive as a highly touted draft pick, and during his development throughout the minor leagues he never really stood out much as somebody that would make a significant impact in the NHL.
But he was part of the wave of call-ups during the 2015-16 season that helped completely transform that season and turn an underachieving team into a back-to-back Stanley Cup champion.
Over the past decade he has gone from unheralded prospect, to minor league call-up, to capable depth player, to one of the top players on the team and a core glue guy that has consistently delivered.
He has scored at least 20 goals in six consecutive seasons, having already reached that mark this season, is closing in on 200 goals for his career, and seems to just keep getting better with age.
When the Penguins were faced with the free agency decisions of 2022 where they had to re-sign Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Rickard Rakell and Rust, I was of the belief that Rust was the player to let go and that his potential contract would likely age the worst. It has not aged poorly at all. At least not yet.
He remains signed for three more full seasons after this at a just a little over $5.1 million per season against the salary cap. He also has a full no-movement clause in his contract, giving him full control over whether or not he goes, and where he could go.
The argument for keeping him
Attitude matters. Pride matters. Culture matters. Having people that give a damn about representing your team and playing for the logo matters. Even when you are rebuilding, and even when you are re-tooling, you still need to have people around that know what it is to be a pro, know what it means to play in the NHL, and know how to win.
The reason the full-tear down rebuilds tend to fail is because teams get rid of every competent NHL player they have, create an environment where losing becomes acceptable, and the entire mindset of the organization changes.
Losing breeds losers, and that becomes a very difficult cycle to break.
Bryan Rust is one of the people that has the attitude, pride and culture that you want on your team even as it re-tools. He gives a damn. He is one of the most consistent players the Penguins have, and he is proud to be a Penguin.
That counts for something.
Along with that, he is also still a really good player and a really productive player. He can play a variety of different roles, and he has settled into the top-line spot alongside Sidney Crosby.
The argument for trading him
Aside from Crosby, who is not a realistic trade option, Rust might have the most trade value of anybody on the team in terms of what type of return he could bring. He is on the wrong side of 30, but he should still have some big years ahead of him. He is not a superstar, but he is a bonafide top-line scorer that typically averages around 25-30 goals per 82 games played. He can play all over the lineup and has the Stanley Cup experience general managers love.
If the goal were to get the biggest possible return possible, shopping Rust would be the move in the hopes they could find a team that would give them a haul of players and picks, and a team that Rust would want to join.
Trade or keep
The answer to this will probably be, “it depends on the offer.” But that is true for almost every player on pretty much every team in every season. The other question here is whether or not the Penguins are actually in a hurry to trade Rust, or if he will want to go anywhere else. I can not speak for the latter point, but I am pretty confident on the former that the Penguins may not be in a hurry here. Not only because of Rust’s value, but also because I would guess they want to give Crosby some sort of comfort on his wing over the next two years. Especially if they still want to try and compete at some point during that stretch. They might listen, but I do not think they will seriously do so. Even if they do, I am not sure Rust agrees to go.
It would be a huge shock to me if he is not still on the Penguins on March 8 this season. This is one where a trade just does not seem likely.