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Bryan Rust

Penguins Activate Bryan Rust, Assign Ville Koivunen To AHL

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The Penguins have made a pair of roster moves heading into tonight’s matchup against the Rangers.  The team announced (Twitter link) that they have activated winger Bryan Rust off injured reserve.  To make room on the roster, forward Ville Koivunen has been assigned to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Rust had been dealing with a lower-body injury that held him out for most of the preseason as he only got into one exhibition contest.  Since he had missed plenty of time by then, Pittsburgh was able to easily move him to injured reserve to start the season and spare another roster cut for the time being.

Last season, the 33-year-old had a career year, notching 31 goals and 34 assists in 71 games, setting personal bests across the board while averaging just under 20 minutes a night of ice time.  Considering that he is making an affordable $5.25MM through the 2027-28 campaign and that Pittsburgh is looking to rebuild its roster, that resulted in him being involved in a lot of trade speculation although no move came to fruition.

Rust will likely rejoin Pittsburgh’s top line alongside Sidney Crosby and Rickard Rakell, a trio that had lots of success last season.  Koivunen had been in that spot as a placeholder to start the year but was held off the scoresheet in his two outings.  Given that he is waiver-exempt, he was a safe choice to send down for the time being.

Last season, Koivunen made quite the first impression down the stretch.  He was brought up at the end of March and got into eight games with Pittsburgh.  While he didn’t score, he picked up seven assists in those outings while playing over 18 minutes a night, making a strong push for a longer-term stint on the roster.  That won’t be happening for the time being but it stands to reason that he’ll be one of their top recall candidates whenever injuries arise or a roster spot is opened up, such as a trade or if Benjamin Kindel is returned to junior if the team opts to not burn the first year of his entry-level contract.  That decision will come once he reaches the nine-game mark which could come within the next few weeks.

Bryan Rust Out Two Weeks Due To Undisclosed Injury

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Penguins winger Bryan Rust will be sidelined for the start of the regular season after sustaining an undisclosed injury in practice on Wednesday, per Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. He’ll miss at least two weeks, with his earliest return date set for Oct. 16 against the Kings. That’s a minimum absence of four games. He will be eligible for an injured reserve placement when opening night rosters are due.

Any trade talks that may still be ongoing for the top-six forward will now take a brief pause. Coming off the first 30-goal, 60-point season of his career, the 33-year-old Rust was in trade rumors all offseason long as the Penguins descended deeper into rebuild territory. Like fellow trade candidates Erik Karlsson and Rickard Rakell, though, he’ll be remaining with the organization to begin the regular season.

With on-ice expectations for the Penguins quite low this season, at least externally, the primary impact of Rust’s absence lies not with his missing offense, but with Pittsburgh’s opening night roster composition. Stashing Rust on IR for a week or two will allow general manager Kyle Dubas to punt some tough decisions for the final few roster spots down the road. The club has multiple young talents at both forward and defense looking to break camp, and leaving Rust off the 23-man limit will make life easier for some of them.

In fact, Rust’s injury could be the final straw for the Pens to decide to give No. 11 overall pick Benjamin Kindel a nine-game trial before returning him to WHL Calgary. Some viewed the 5’11” winger as a reach on draft day in June, but he’s averaged over 17 minutes per game in five preseason contests while registering a goal and an assist. If not him, Rust’s absence could be a pathway for a name like Filip Hallander or Samuel Poulin to avoid waivers, at least for a few extra days.

Still, Rust’s injury brings the Penguins to three forwards on IR to begin the season who would otherwise be opening-night likelies or locks. Veteran Kevin Hayes was shut down at the beginning of camp and isn’t expected back until late October, while top prospect Rutger McGroarty is out indefinitely with an upper-body issue.

Teams Maintain Interest In Penguins’ Rakell And Rust

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With the main wave of free agency behind them, teams that missed out on big-name signings may now be shifting their focus to the trade market. And at the top of that list are Pittsburgh Penguins forwards Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell, the Fourth Period reports.

Trade speculation surrounding both players isn’t new, especially given that the Penguins are one of the few teams currently in a rebuilding phase. While GM Kyle Dubas hasn’t explicitly stated that either player is off-limits, it’s believed the Penguins would need to be blown away by an offer to part with them. There doesn’t appear to be immediate urgency to move either winger, especially since both have team-friendly deals.

Rust has three years remaining on his contract, which comes with a $5.125MM AAV. The 33-year-old is coming off a career-best season, posting 31 goals and 65 points in 71 games. He has spent his entire career in the Penguins organization after the team selected him in the third round (80th overall) in the 2010 draft. In 638 career games, he’s recorded 427 points, with his 203 goals ranking ninth in franchise history. Rust also excels as a penalty killer and has a history of elevating his game and scoring timely goals in the playoffs. While Rust has expressed interest in remaining in Pittsburgh, his no-trade clause recently expired, thus taking that decision out of his hands.

Rakell bounced back with a strong 2024-25 season after a down year the previous season. In 81 games, Rakell posted a career-best 35 goals and 70 points in 81 games last season, mainly playing alongside Rust and Sidney Crosby. The sharpshooting right winger has three years remaining on an extremely team-friendly $5MM AAV contract. Rakell has eclipsed the 30-goal plateau three times in his career, and the 20-goal mark six times.

Several teams have been recently linked to the duo, including the Hurricanes, before inking Nikolaj Ehlers to a new six-year contract. The Fourth Period also includes Toronto, Los Angeles, San Jose, New Jersey, Buffalo, and Seattle among the teams looking to upgrade their top-six.

While Dubas and the Penguins’ front office would need to be impressed to make a move, with over $15 million in cap space (per PuckPedia), they could be open to taking on a large salary if it sweetens the deal and keeps the other team cap-compliant.

 

East Notes: Rust, Rakell, Boeser, Tambellini

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According to Josh Yohe of The Athletic, before inking Nikolaj Ehlers to a new six-year contract, the Carolina Hurricanes were interested in a pair of veteran wingers from the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Hurricanes reportedly called on the availability of Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell, and league sources believe one of the two will be dealt this summer.

Given his use of the past tense in his article, it doesn’t appear that Carolina has continued their interest in Rust or Rakell. Still, with more than $10MM in cap space after adding Ehlers, the Hurricanes could conceivably add another top-six winger to their forward group to put themselves over the top in the Eastern Conference.

Neither player has indicated a desire to leave the Penguins organization, but neither has the necessary protection to block a trade outright. If Carolina reconsiders in the offseason, they would likely target Rust for a middle-six role, adding more physicality and playoff experience to a high-skill lineup.

Other notes from the Eastern Conference:

  • Although they only came away with Jonathan Drouin to improve their offensive woes, the New York Islanders had their eyes on a bigger prize once free agency began. According to a new article from Stefen Rosner in The Elmonters, the Islanders were the highest on the list for winger Brock Boeser, if he wanted to leave Vancouver. Ultimately, although he would have been a tremendous goal-scoring asset for New York, Boeser remained with the Canucks on a new seven-year, $50.75MM deal.
  • The Tampa Bay Lightning announced that they’ve hired Jeff Tambellini as their new Assistant General Manager and Director of Hockey Operations. Tambellini is a former six-year veteran of the NHL, playing for the Islanders, Canucks, and Los Angeles Kings. He had previously worked for the Lightning as a collegiate scout from 2020 to 2022 and the Seattle Kraken’s Director of Player Development from 2022 to 2025.

East Notes: Kyrou, Cody Glass, Rust

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Pittsburgh Penguins veteran winger Bryan Rust has been linked to trade discussions involving multiple teams, including the Buffalo Sabres and Columbus Blue Jackets, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on his 32 Thoughts podcast.

The Penguins have bolstered their forward pipeline by drafting Benjamin Kindel at No. 11 overall, and GM Kyle Dubas appears to be open to offers for veteran forwards. Even though Rust posted a career-best season in 2024-25, Pittsburgh’s rebuild means he and Rickard Rakell are among the tradeable players that contenders may target for scoring help.

Rust posted 31 goals and 65 points in 71 games last season, largely playing alongside Rakell and Sidney Crosby. Rust also excels as a penalty killer and has a history of elevating his game and scoring timely goals in the playoffs. While he’s 32 and has a history of injury concerns, Rust has three years remaining on his $5.125MM AAV deal that could prove team-friendly for a contending team.

Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference:

  • Friedman also discussed that while the New Jersey Devils have expressed interest in retaining pending restricted free agent Cody Glass, the team may not have the financial flexibility to do so. With several pending free agents—including Curtis Lazar, Brian Dumoulin, and Jake Allen—and a significant restricted free agent in Luke Hughes, Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald must be strategic in allocating the team’s $14.3 million in cap space (per PuckPedia). Glass spent last season between the Penguins and Devils and posted a combined six goals and 22 points in 65 games. The former sixth overall pick (and first in Golden Knights history), added a career-high 51.2 faceoff win percentage.
  • As the Montreal Canadiens continue to explore trade options, they have checked in on St. Louis Blues’ sniper Jordan Kyrou, per David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period. The Habs traded for defensemen Noah Dobson earlier today and will absorb his new eight-year, $76MM contract. However, the team also appears interested in adding to its forward group. The Canadians finished 17th in the league with 243 goals last season, and a player like Kyrou could certainly help them climb those rankings. Playing all 82 games last season, he posted 36 goals and 70 points. It represented his third consecutive 30-goal campaign, and the 26-year-old added three goals in seven playoff games. Kyrou has five years left on his eight-year, $65MM contract, which comes with a cap hit of $8.125MM annually.

Penguins Receiving Interest In Bryan Rust

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With there being plenty of speculation about the Penguins trying to make their roster younger for the upcoming season, a veteran winger is being eyed by other teams.  Josh Yohe of The Athletic reports (subscription link) that teams are calling to gauge the potential availability of veteran winger Bryan Rust.

The 33-year-old is coming of a career year after putting up 31 goals and 34 assists this season despite missing 11 games due to injuries and illness.  That came on the heels of him matching his previous career best in points the year before when he only played in 62 games.  Suffice it to say, Rust has gone from being more of a role player at the beginning of his career to a trusted top-six option in recent seasons, making it very understandable that he’s attracting interest.

While his recent performance is certainly fueling that, so too is his contract.  Rust has three years left on his current contract with a $5.125MM cap hit.  In a cap environment that’s going to see the Upper Limit increase considerably over the next several years, inflating salaries along the way, his deal increasingly becomes more of a bargain.

A long-time linemate of Sidney Crosby, it’s likely that GM Kyle Dubas would prefer to keep Rust in the fold.  While there’s a stated desire to get younger, there doesn’t seem to be any indication that they’re looking to go into more of a full rebuild, meaning that their top veterans aren’t likely to be made available.

It’s also worth noting that Rust currently has a no-move clause for a few more weeks although that protection lapses on July 1st.  Accordingly, if a move were to be made with Dubas receiving an offer that was simply too good to refuse, it might have to wait until the start of the new league year for it to be made official.  And if the free agent market proves to be as lucrative as many expect, Rust’s trade value and Dubas’ asking price will only be going up from there.

Will The Penguins Trade One Of Sidney Crosby’s Wingers?

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The Penguins have faced numerous challenges over the past few years – some regrettable trades and dwindling attendance. They’re on the verge of missing the playoffs for the third consecutive season, following a remarkable streak of 16 straight postseason appearances from 2007 to 2022. This year will mark only the fourth time in captain Sidney Crosby’s illustrious 20-year career that he missed the playoffs. While many media pundits speculate about his desire to join a contender, Crosby has consistently expressed his commitment to finishing his career with the Penguins and being part of their future success. The organization seems eager to accommodate him, which raises an important question: Would the Penguins trade one of Crosby’s favorite wingers for a second time in the last 18 months?

Trading Rickard Rakell has been a consideration for the Penguins; reports indicate they sought a substantial return at the NHL Trade Deadline but ultimately decided to keep the 31-year-old winger for the remainder of the season. However, not trading him this year doesn’t preclude a potential deal during the summer. Rakell has three years left on his contract with a reasonable $5MM cap hit, and his value may never be higher than it is now. The Penguins could capitalize on this opportunity and accelerate their retooling efforts, but at what cost? Crosby would lose a preferred winger again, and the Penguins lack players in their system who could effectively replace Rakell.

General manager Kyle Dubas has indicated that the franchise does not want to bottom out. They fear the emergence of a losing culture affecting their players, a concern supported by the 2010 Edmonton Oilers’ repeated struggle to escape the bottom of the NHL standings despite multiple top-five picks.

For their part, the Penguins have said they are comfortable keeping Rakell. While that won’t please the fans hoping for a tank next season, it could ultimately help the Penguins’ youth movement, who will get to study the game under the tutelage of Crosby and Rakell.

If the Pens opt to go a different direction, Rakell could be traded for a haul and possibly even lead to an impact prospect, which is missing from the Penguins’ retool and is on Dubas’ radar (as per Josh Yohe of The Athletic). The Penguins GM has done well building the prospect pipeline, but Pittsburgh doesn’t have anyone in their system who screams franchise cornerstone. The other factor when considering a Rakell move is that he wasn’t good last season, tallying just 15 goals and 22 assists in 70 games. Should he fall back to that production level, his $5MM AAV looks less appealing, which would hurt his trade value and the Penguins’ potential return.

The other Crosby winger that the Penguins could consider moving is Bryan Rust. The 32-year-old has hovered around the point-per-game mark since 2019 and has three more years on his deal at a very economical $5.13MM per season. The Pontiac, Michigan native is a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Penguins and remains one of the last holdovers from the 2016 and 2017 teams that won back-to-back championships. Rust remains a heart and soul player for Pittsburgh, and like Rakell, his value might never be higher. Rust would likely be a more challenging trade for Pens fans to swallow, given that he was drafted and developed by the team and is viewed by many as a man who should be wearing a letter in Pittsburgh.

On the flip side, Rust would also bring a strong return to Pittsburgh and could help move the Penguins’ retool along. It’s not unreasonable to think they would get a first-round pick and a prospect or two for Rust, which makes holding onto him even more complicated, even though the Penguins are keeping their superstar captain happy in doing so.

The Penguins owe a lot to Crosby; some might say he saved the franchise in 2005. Some might also say Crosby is loyal to a fault, and given the evidence, it’s easy to see why. The 37-year-old has never taken market value on a contract, playing under an $8.7MM cap hit since the 2008-09 season, and has almost always kept himself out of team business except for the Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang contract negotiations in the summer of 2022. Crosby also watched his preferred winger, Jake Guentzel, get traded away last March without a complaint. He’s perhaps the most loyal athlete in professional sports history.

But, as mentioned earlier, the talk leading into the NHL Trade Deadline was once again about trading one of Crosby’s preferred wingers, Rakell. Rust has also been mentioned in trade rumors, and given that his entire no-move clause ends this summer, he could be a name that is moved. But what kind of a message would it send to the superstar center who has given his all to the Penguins?

Many hockey pundits have speculated on whether or not Crosby will finish his career in Pittsburgh. Still, Crosby has done everything he can to dispel those rumors, including signing a two-year extension last September. It is easy to question Crosby’s decision, given the direction of the Penguins during the previous three seasons and the roster’s current state. However, looking at what Dubas has done in the last 12 months, it’s not impossible to imagine the team returning to relevance before the end of Crosby’s aforementioned two-year extension that is set to start next season. With all of that being said, Pittsburgh is still in a retool that they refuse to call a rebuild, and Crosby still very much wants to win, which has made it difficult to embrace a rebuild fully and has put Dubas in a position where he can’t fully commit to a youth movement. Penguins’ ownership and management appear committed to the retooling strategy, and Crosby is also on board based on how he spoke to Elliotte Friedman on the 32 Thoughts podcast.

Regardless of who Dubas moves out, this offseason will be a franchise-defining one. They could push in and make aggressive moves over the next 12 months to try and get Crosby and the Penguins back into the playoff picture in what could be teammate Evgeni Malkin’s last season in the NHL.

The team could also continue gradually adding to their pipeline and draft picks. Either way, the Penguins are at a strange fork in the road as they try to navigate the past, the present, and the future of an organization that has had megastars and championships on the regular since the beginning of the 1990s.

Dubas must decide whether to retool around Sidney Crosby, which likely means keeping Rakell and Rust for one last run or leaning into a deeper rebuild that could see one or both of them sent away via trade. Whatever the case, it’s safe to assume spring and summer will bring a lot of trade winds for the Penguins, as they also have star defenseman Erik Karlsson, who will likely be traded.

Photo by Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Latest On The Pittsburgh Penguins

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Josh Yohe of The Athletic writes that the Pittsburgh Penguins never came close to dealing forward Rickard Rakell prior to the NHL Trade Deadline. The Penguins reportedly didn’t care to deal Rakell and were happy to hold onto him, despite receiving several offers for his services. Pittsburgh general manager Kyle Dubas doesn’t want the Penguins to tank over the next few years and instead hopes to mirror the retool that the Washington Capitals recently went through.

Dubas did make plenty of moves leading up to the deadline, but didn’t move any of the bigger names such as Rakell or Erik Karlsson. Yohe believes that the Penguins would like to move Karlsson in the summer and are willing to retain as much as $3MM to facilitate a move. Karlsson hasn’t been terrible in Pittsburgh, but his style of play has not meshed well, and he has not been the Norris Trophy defenseman that Pittsburgh thought they were trading for in the summer of 2023.

If the Penguins move on from Karlsson, it will put more pressure on defenseman Kris Letang. Although it’s questionable as to whether he will stick around. Yohe speculates that Dubas will approach Letang to see if he still has interest in remaining in Pittsburgh during their roster turnover. Letang has a full no trade clause and three years remaining on his contract at a $6.1MM AAV. His actual salary in those three years will be $4.8MM per year, which could be appealing for teams on an internal budget. Letang is having arguably the worst season of his professional career but remains a top four NHL defenseman. He hasn’t publicly expressed any interest in moving on from the Penguins.

Yohe expects teams to call Pittsburgh this summer about forward Bryan Rust as his full no movement clause expires. While teams will be interested, Yohe doesn’t believe the Penguins want to move the veteran, who is playing some of the best hockey of his career with 21 goals and 26 assists in 55 games this season.

Given the nature of the Penguins’ deadline, and a desire to keep high character veterans in the fold, it looks as though the Penguins intend to turn things around quickly rather than enduring a five-year rebuild. Yohe acknowledges that next year will be tough for Pittsburgh, but the Penguins are hoping to contend for a playoff spot again in the next two years.

Penguins Activate Bryan Rust From Injured Reserve

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Penguins winger Bryan Rust will be back in the lineup tonight against the Flyers after a brief absence. The team announced he’d been activated from injured reserve after missing three games with a lower-body injury, which he sustained before the 4 Nations break. They placed winger Bokondji Imama on IR in a corresponding transaction.

Pittsburgh is now entirely out of the playoff picture. Their record is 23-27-9, and based on points percentage, they only slightly lead the Sabres for last place in the Eastern Conference. They’ve already begun selling off pieces ahead of the trade deadline and could do more, but Rust won’t be one of them with a full no-movement clause and three seasons left on his contract at a $5.125MM cap hit.

Things got off to a tough start for Rust in 2024-25. He limped out of the gate along with the rest of the team, limited to eight points and a staggering -16 rating through 16 games. A three-point effort against the Canucks just before Thanksgiving re-ignited his season, however. He’s now up to 20-22–42 in 48 appearances, and while his -21 rating is still set to be the worst of his career, he’s at least stopped the bleeding in that regard. He continues to see solely first-line deployment alongside Sidney Crosby, averaging over 19 minutes per game, and has secured his sixth consecutive 20-goal season.

One of the most consistent secondary scorers of the last decade, Rust will return to his usual spot on the top line with Crosby and Rickard Rakell. He’s now missed 11 games with lower-body issues this season, cause for concern as he turns 33 this offseason, but the 5’11” winger remains one of the Penguins’ top few scorers.

While Pittsburgh’s goaltending issues have dragged down nearly every skater’s rating this season, concerns about Rust’s defensive impact are legitimate. His -3.4 expected rating is better than only Noel Acciari and Matt Grzelcyk among active Penguins, and his 49.2 CF% at even strength is the worst of his career. The Crosby-Rakell duo has also posted higher expected goal shares at 5v5 when paired with either Anthony Beauvillier or Evgeni Malkin, per MoneyPuck.

Nonetheless, he looks to end the season on a high note in advance of his NMC expiring on July 1. If the Penguins continue to aggressively retool their roster, he could find himself on the move later in the offseason after his trade protection lapses.

Imama, a 28-year-old enforcer, has been on the roster since a recall from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in late January. He’s been out since sustaining an upper-body injury against the Rangers on Feb. 7, so he can return at any time. The 221-lb winger has a plus-one rating and seven penalty minutes in six showings for Pittsburgh since being called up, averaging just 5:28 per game.

Penguins Recall Vasiliy Ponomarev, Place Bryan Rust On Injured Reserve

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Forward prospect Vasiliy Ponomarev is expected to get his fourth opportunity with the Pittsburgh Penguins this season. The Penguins announced they’ve recalled Ponomarev from their AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, and have placed veteran forward Bryan Rust on injured reserve in a corresponding roster move.

Ponomarev was selected 53rd overall in the 2020 NHL Draft by the Carolina Hurricanes. He spent two and a half years in the Hurricanes organization, scoring 35 goals and 85 points in 116 AHL contests split between the AHL’s Chicago Wolves and Tucson Roadrunners. Carolina eventually traded Ponomarev to the Penguins in the deal that sent Jake Guentzel to Raleigh last year.

Ponomarev’s performance in the AHL has improved since he moved to Pennsylvania, though the change has not been significant. While playing with the Hurricanes organization, he averaged 0.73 points per game starting in the latter part of the 2021-22 season. Since joining the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, his average has increased to 0.80 PPG.

Despite limited opportunities, Ponomarev has not made a significant impact at the NHL level. He made his NHL debut last season with Carolina, scoring only one goal and one assist in five games.

He’s certainly not expected to replicate Rust’s production this season. The 11-year veteran winger has scored 20 goals and 42 points in 46 games for the Penguins this season, ranking third on the team in scoring despite losing several games to injury.

Although injuries have limited his availability the last two years, Rust’s continued point production and renewed shot efficiency have made him the subject of trade rumors this year. He owns a no-movement clause in his contract, he loses all trade protection on July 1st, 2025.

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