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Bryan Rust

East Notes: Rust, Dahlin, Romanov, Motte

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The Pittsburgh Penguins organization didn’t get a positive update on forward Bryan Rust’s injury. The team’s play-by-play commentator, Jeff Getzoff, shared that Rust is considered week-to-week with a lower-body injury after evaluations.

Rust suffered the lower-body injury in the team’s most recent game against the Vancouver Canucks after receiving a hit from Nils Hoglander. The veteran forward was quickly ruled out of that game’s action after only 13:18 of ice time and missed the team’s practice yesterday.

The injury could be related to the lower-body injury that kept Rust from the ice at the beginning of the season. He missed Pittsburgh’s first two games of the regular season but has managed three goals and four points in eight straight games. The Penguins only have 12 healthy forwards on the roster meaning Valtteri Puustinen should garner more ice time if the organization doesn’t make a recall from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Other notes from the Eastern Conference:

  • Buffalo Sabres’ captain Rasmus Dahlin’s two-minute minor for high-sticking and two-minute minor for roughing in last night’s action has turned into more. The NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced they have fined Dahlin $5,000 for yesterday’s incident, the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement. The play took place with seven minutes remaining of the third period when Dahlin swung his stick into the face of Florida Panthers’ forward Anton Lundell after positioning for the puck at the Sabres’ blue line.
  • The New York Islanders will be without defenseman Alexander Romanov for the second straight game. Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News reports Romanov is still considered day-to-day with an undisclosed injury from one of the team’s recent games against the New Jersey Devils. There hasn’t been any indication up to this point that Romanov will be able to dress in tomorrow night’s action against the Columbus Blue Jackets, either.
  • Ansar Khan of MLive reports the Detroit Red Wings are still without forward Tyler Motte who is suffering from an upper-body injury. His unavailability will have a downstream effect on the roster with the organization keeping the ability to keep prospect Marco Kasper on the roster under emergency conditions for the time being. Kasper has skated in five games for the Red Wings during his emergency recall with one assist to show for it while averaging 15:22 of ice time. Once Motte can return, Detroit must make a roster move to comply with the emergency condition protocols.

Penguins Notes: Rust, Bunting, Nieto

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The Penguins were without winger Bryan Rust at practice today, per Josh Getzoff of SportsNet Pittsburgh. Head coach Mike Sullivan confirmed that Rust is being evaluated for a lower-body injury he sustained against the Canucks on Saturday, and there’s no timeline for his return to the ice yet (via Michelle Crechiolo of Pens Inside Scoop).

Rust, 32, left the weekend loss to Vancouver after getting his right leg tangled up awkwardly with Canucks winger Nils Höglander. It’s been a mediocre start to the campaign for the five-time 20-goal scorer, who’s been limited to three goals and an assist in eight games with a -7 rating. But he’s still averaging 19:20 per game – that’s second-most among Pittsburgh forwards and, correspondingly, a large hole to fill for a team short on forward depth if he misses any extended time.

Almost no Penguin has started the season as they’d like to, aside from a handful of exceptions – namely Evgeni Malkin, who’s turned back the clock with 14 points in 10 games. But it’s been especially difficult for Rust, who also missed the season’s first two games with a separate lower-body injury. If he can’t play tomorrow against the Wild, Cody Glass is the extra forward on hand and will return to the lineup after missing the Canucks game with an illness.

Other items of note out of Pittsburgh:

  • One of this season’s biggest disappointments so far has been winger Michael Bunting. Acquired from the Hurricanes near the tail end of last year as arguably the highest-value part of the return for Jake Guentzel, he’s fallen completely flat with just one assist in nine games. He’s already been a healthy scratch once in 2024-25, and Josh Yohe of The Athletic reports the Penguins organization as a whole is “very unhappy” with his performance. It’s a completely unforeseen drop-off after he ended last season with 19 points in 21 games for the Pens, mainly playing alongside the red-hot Malkin.
  • Winger Matthew Nieto returned to practice today for the first time since sustaining a knee injury that ended his 2023-24 season all the way back in November, relays Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Nieto, 32 next week, underwent laparoscopic surgery on his left knee shortly after the New Year but suffered a setback that required him to undergo a reconstructive MCL procedure in May. After inking a two-year, $1.8MM deal in free agency in 2023, Nieto had a goal and three assists in 22 appearances for Pittsburgh before the season-ending injury.

Evening Notes: Martin, Colton, Wood, Rust

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Matt Martin’s recently signed one-year deal with the New York Islanders will pay him a prorated salary of $775K for the season (as per PuckPedia). Martin’s deal is a one-way contract with an AAV of $875K, meaning he will make $775K in the AHL or NHL. The contract also includes a $100K bonus if the 35-year-old plays ten games in the NHL this season.

The bonus in the contract is a bit peculiar given that the Islanders were likely the only suitor for Martin’s services after he lingered unsigned in free agency for over three months. However, the $100K bonus won’t impact New York much as they can roll any overage into next season when they will have over $20MM in cap space.

In other evening notes:

  • Colorado Avalanche forwards Miles Wood and Ross Colton are expected to play tonight when the Avalanche take on the Ottawa Senators (as per Meghan Angley of Guerilla Sports). Both players missed team practice yesterday after they were banged up in Thursday night’s game against Utah. Colorado head coach Jared Bednar told the media yesterday that the team was trying to allow the players to recover so that they wouldn’t miss any game time. It would appear the tactic worked, which is good news for a team that has lost a pile of man games this season.
  • Pittsburgh Penguins forward Bryan Rust left last night’s game against the Vancouver Canucks with a lower-body injury (as per Ryan Gagne of The Hockey News). The 32-year-old was run into the boards by Canucks forward Nils Hoglander, who had some choice words for him as he left the ice. The Penguins were quick to rule the veteran out for the remainder of the game which isn’t a great sign for the struggling club moving forward. Pittsburgh has yet to provide an update and returned to Pittsburgh today after a disastrous road trip through Western Canada that saw the Penguins go 0-3-1. Pittsburgh plays at home on Tuesday against the Minnesota Wild.

Injury Updates: Barkov, Woll, Peterka, Rust

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7:00 PM : After originally being labeled a game-time decision, Penguins winger Bryan Rust has made his return to the lineup. It’s his season debut, returning him to his role on Sidney Crosby’s wing, where he recorded 28 goals and 56 points in 62 games last season.

2:00 PM : The lower-body injury to Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov won’t keep him out for long.  Head coach Paul Maurice told reporters including Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News (Twitter link) that the center is expected to miss two to three weeks and is expected to be ready to play by the time Florida heads overseas in early November for games in Barkov’s native Finland, if not before then.  That means he shouldn’t miss any more time relative to his original week-to-week designation.  The 29-year-old has been a high-end two-way top center for several seasons now and has put up at least 78 points in each of the last three seasons.  Harrington also noted that Florida winger Matthew Tkachuk won’t play tonight against Buffalo although his absence isn’t injury-related but rather due to illness.

Other injury news from around the NHL:

  • Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll is progressing from his lower-body injury but still has not returned to the ice, relays Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun (Twitter link). The netminder was expected to get the start on Wednesday’s opener but was scratched earlier in the day, landing on IR retroactively to his last preseason appearance to make a roster spot for Dennis Hildeby.  Woll is entering his second full NHL season and posted a 2.97 GAA with a .904 SV% in 25 games last season and added a 0.86 GAA with a .963 SV% in three playoff appearances.
  • While the Sabres were hoping that winger J-J Peterka would be able to suit up tonight, the team announced that won’t be the case as he’ll miss his second straight game due to a concussion. However, head coach Lindy Ruff indicated that he’s hopeful Peterka will be able to suit up on Wednesday.
  • Penguins winger Bryan Rust is listed as a game-time decision for tonight’s game against Toronto, notes Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now. The veteran has been listed as day-to-day for the last couple of weeks with a lower-body injury, landing him on IR to start the season but he was a full participant in Pittsburgh’s morning skate.  Rust had 28 goals and 28 assists in 62 games for the Penguins last season.  The team has an open roster spot so they won’t have to send someone down if Rust is indeed cleared to play.

Metro Notes: Thompson, Seeler, Rust

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The Washington Capitals won’t start their regular season until this Saturday giving their new goaltender plenty of time to return. Tom Gulitti of the NHL relayed a note from head coach Spencer Carbery that goaltender Logan Thompson is expected back at practice tomorrow after being away from the team for personal reasons.

The Capitals acquired Thompson this past offseason from the Vegas Golden Knights for a pair of third-round picks. It was an odd move at the time given how close Vegas’ is to the cap for the 2024-25 season. Thompson is on the last year of a three-year, $2.3MM contract signed with the Golden Knights in 2022 with a $767K cap hit. Still, it makes some sense for Vegas to get something for a netminder who surely would have left in unrestricted free agency next summer.

Washington is still riding high on Charlie Lindgren’s breakout season last year but should he falter; they have a reliable backup in Thompson. There’s been some injury concern in the past but he still owns a 56-32-11 record in 95 starts with a .912 save percentage, a 2.67 goals-against average, and a Stanley Cup ring.

Other Metro notes:

  • It doesn’t appear defenseman Nick Seeler will be ready for the Philadelphia Flyers’ season opener tomorrow with Charlie O’Connor of PHLY Sports reporting he was the only member of the active roster not to practice today. Multiple outlets indicated that Seeler is dealing with a minor lower-body ailment and veteran defenseman Erik Johnson will play in his stead. Although the Flyers still have six healthy defensemen on the roster, expect a call-up tomorrow as the team starts their year on a Western Conference road trip.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins will again be without forward Bryan Rust as they take on the Detroit Red Wings for their second game of the year (X Link). Rust has been dealing with a lower-body injury dating back to training camp and currently resides on the team’s injured reserve. He should return soon; however, as Rust has been practicing with the team in a non-contact jersey.

Penguins Notes: Malkin, Karlsson, Rust

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There’s some reminiscing in Pittsburgh today with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin starting their 20th and 19th years with the team, respectively. In his age-38 season, Malkin has retirement on his mind but rest assured it will be on his terms.

In an article from Josh Yohe of The Athletic (Subscription Required), Malkin explained that the final two years of his four-year, $24.4MM contract may be his last in the NHL. He said, “If I’m not playing right, if I’m not real happy with how I’m playing, then yes, these probably are my last two years. But I can’t say for sure that I’ll be done in two years. If I play well this year and next year, if I’m happy with how I’m playing, then maybe I’ll play a little more after that. That would be nice“.

Despite how his body may feel, he isn’t content with where the team has finished the past two seasons. Malkin explained that he wouldn’t retire before playing in the playoffs again saying, “I love the playoffs so much and I love our fans so much. I need to feel it again. I couldn’t leave if I never play in the playoffs again. Not until then“. Given where the Pittsburgh Penguins are in their contention window — the next time they make the playoffs may be the last they see of a franchise legend.

Other Penguins notes:

  • The organization received positive news on the injury front as Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports reports defenseman Erik Karlsson is medically cleared to play tonight. Karlsson missed most of Pittsburgh’s preseason nursing an upper-body injury. He’s primed for a big season, particularly on the team’s powerplay, with coach David Quinn taking over the team’s tactics with a man advantage.
  • On the flip side of the ’injury coin’, the Penguins will be without forward Bryan Rust for their regular season opener (X Link). He’s been on the team’s injured reserve retroactive to September 29th and was originally designated as day-to-day. He recently skated with the team in practice in a non-contact jersey indicating his imminent return.

Penguins Notes: Rust, Nedeljkovic, Nieto

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Pittsburgh Penguins forward Bryan Rust participated in the team practice today wearing a white (non-contact) jersey (as per Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports). Rust has been dealing with an injury that he likely suffered in a preseason game against the Columbus Blue Jackets and may not suit up for the Penguins opener this week.

Pittsburgh general manager Kyle Dubas told the media yesterday that the team was taking extra precautions with Rust, who will certainly be a key cog for the Penguins this season alongside Sidney Crosby on the top line. Anthony Beauvillier has been taking Rust’s spot on the Penguins top line alongside Crosby and Drew O’Connor, however, Rust appeared to be getting reacclimated with his linemates today which likely means he is close to returning.

In other Pittsburgh Penguins notes:

  • Penguins’ goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic returned to the ice today prior to Pittsburgh’s practice (as per Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports). The Penguins backup is considered week to week due to an undisclosed injury and landed on injured reserve earlier this week. His injury will force the Penguins to rely heavily on starter Tristan Jarry to start the year after Jarry didn’t play in Pittsburgh’s final 13 games of the regular season last year. If both netminders post similar results to last season, its possible that Nedeljkovic could become the Penguin’s starter this season.
  • Penguins forward Matt Nieto also skated today before Penguins practice (as per Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports). The 31-year-old had surgery on his right knee in January and was slated to return to the lineup but missed the remainder of the season and then required left knee surgery in May. Nieto has been skating infrequently with his other injured teammates and is reportedly still two months away from returning to the lineup (as per Rorabaugh). The Penguins have a stockpile of bottom-six forwards available to them making it unlikely that Nieto will receive much playing time when he does return to health.

Metro Notes: Panarin, Rust, Shabanov

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New York Rangers star forward Artemi Panarin told the media today that he’s feeling good and is expecting to be able to play Wednesday when New York begins the regular season (as per Peter Baugh of The Athletic). Panarin returned to Rangers practice today for the first time since he left a preseason game almost a week ago with a lower-body injury. It was the second time he’d exited a preseason game with an ailment; however, it appears that he is optimistic he can play when the Rangers take on Pittsburgh in two nights.

Panarin took his usual spot on a line with Vincent Trocheck and Alexis Lafreniere and appeared set to open the season, however, Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette was a bit more conservative with his comments after practice saying that the Rangers were taking things slow with Panarin and they would see how he feels over the next two days.

In other Metropolitan Division notes:

  • The Pittsburgh Penguins have placed forward Bryan Rust on IR, retroactively to last Sunday (as per Michelle Crechiolo of Pens Inside Scoop). Rust will be able to come off IR at any time and could play in the Penguins opener on Wednesday night as Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas called him day-to-day. Dubas admitted that the Penguins are being cautious with Rust and are trying to avoid his ailment becoming a long-term complication. Rust has had trouble staying healthy throughout his career and has never played a full 82-game season. Last year, he missed time and dressed in just 62 games but was very effective posting 28 goals and 28 assists.
  • The New York Islanders are reportedly among four NHL teams that have already expressed an interest in KHL forward Maxim Shabanov (as per Ethan Sears of The New York Post). Shabanov is off to a good start in the KHL this season with 14 points in his first 12 games and is coming off a season in which he posted 25 goals and 25 assists in 64 games with Traktor Chelyabinsk. Shabanov is expected to decide at the end of the KHL season as to whether he will sign in the NHL or not and many expect that his list of suitors will grow into the double digits by that time. The Islanders are fresh off signing another young Russian in Maxim Tsyplakov who should receive playing ample time in the Islanders’ top-six forward group this season.

Injury Notes: Sabres, Penguins, Ryan, Jarnkrok

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The Buffalo Sabres’ depth will be tested just two games into the season, with top-six wingers John-Jason Peterka (concussion) and Zach Benson (lower-body) both facing injury, per Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News. No timeline was provided for either player. Benson was held out of the team’s Saturday morning game in favor of top prospect Jiri Kulich, while Peterka exited the game after just three shifts. Lysowski added that team captain Rasmus Dahlin also seems unhealthy, despite being the team’s clear-cut top defender through their first two games.

The menagerie of injuries is weighing heavily on the Sabres, who lost both games in the Prague series by a combined score of 7-2. Peterka recorded the primary assist on Buffalo’s first goal of the year – making a strong play behind the net to set up Owen Power in the slot. Those are the hard-nosed plays Peterka has become known for in his early career, a big part of how he managed 28 goals and 50 points last season. Despite being in his age-18 season, Benson wasn’t too far behind – netting 11 goals and 30 points of his own, though he did miss 11 games to injury last year. Both players are not only core pieces of the present Sabres lineup, but pillars of the team’s future. Their healthy and speedy recovery will be paramount as the team looks to find their bearings when they return to America.

Other injury updates from around the league:

  • The Pittsburgh Penguins are also bearing through a pair of injuries, with both Bryan Rust and Vasiliy Ponomarev listed as day-to-day per Tribune-Review Spots’ Seth Rorabaugh. No details or timeline were provided. Rust has missed the bulk of Pittsburgh’s preseasons with what were originally described as maintenance days, before this injury designation. He’ll have his eyes set on the team’s top line when he returns to full health, having posted a commendable 56 points – split evenly – in just 62 appearances last year. Ponomarev doesn’t have the same lineup security, though his 30 points in 43 AHL games last season could be enough to warrant a test in the bottom-six. Any bout with the Penguins would be notable for the 23-year-old Ponomarev, who made his NHL debut with Carolina last season – scoring two points in two games.
  • Edmonton Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch listed forward Derek Ryan as day-to-day with an undisclosed injury, shares Tony Barr of Oilers TV. Ryan has continued skating at the tail end of Edmonton’s practices, though he was held out of the team’s final preseason game on Friday. He’ll be in the mix for fourth-line minutes when he returns, likely set to return to the role that earned him 12 points in 70 games last season.
  • Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube has confirmed Calle Jarnkrok’s lower-body injury is nagging, telling TSN’s Mark Masters that it’s the same injury that limited the forward at the start of training camp. Jarnkrok has only appeared in two preseason games, and continues to miss practices as a result of his injury. He’ll be a bottom-six multitool when he returns, though Jarnkrok first faces the test of overcoming a lingering issue.

Metropolitan Notes: Karlsson, Rust, Keefe, Harrold, Voronkov

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Penguins star defender Erik Karlsson has shed his non-contact jersey as he aims to return from an upper-body injury by the season opener, per the team. He hasn’t seen any preseason action, but with five days still to go until their home opener against the Rangers, it seems like he won’t miss any regular season action. He hasn’t been ruled out for tonight’s exhibition game against the Blue Jackets, either, but with how much time he’s missed in camp, he should be considered doubtful at best.

Karlsson only re-joined practice yesterday after a few days of skating on his own. Evidently, it was a successful session, and he’s trending in the right direction quickly – after all, he only carried a non-contact designation for one day. It still wasn’t an incredibly rigorous practice, though, as head coach Mike Sullivan points out, and he wasn’t routinely taking contact. The 34-year-old is looking to get his second season in Pittsburgh off on the right foot after posting 56 points in 82 games last year, his lowest per-game production since the 2020-21 campaign.

It’s not all good news on the injury front for the Pens, though. Winger Bryan Rust remains day-to-day with an undisclosed injury after previously missing practice for what the team termed maintenance reasons. The 32-year-old is expected to once again start the season on Sidney Crosby’s line after scoring a career-high 28 goals in 66 games last season.

Elsewhere in the Metro:

  • Sheldon Keefe’s move to the Devils after being fired by the Maple Leafs has him primed to win his first Jack Adams Award for coach of the year, as voted by NHL.com writers. He walks into a pretty favorable situation with New Jersey primed to rebound to a playoff-caliber record with No. 1 defender Dougie Hamilton at full health and their goaltending situation hopefully addressed with the offseason pickup of 2022 Vezina finalist Jacob Markström from the Flames.
  • The Hurricanes have promoted Peter Harrold to their director of player development, the team announced. The 41-year-old had been with Carolina since 2020 as a development and skills coach, working with the team’s defenders. Harrold was a defenseman himself, skating in 274 NHL games in parts of nine seasons for the Devils and Kings from 2006 to 2015.
  • Blue Jackets winger Dmitri Voronkov is still being evaluated after leaving last night’s loss to the Penguins with an upper-body injury, relays The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline. For now, his availability for the start of the regular season appears to be thrust into doubt. The 24-year-old finished 11th in Calder Trophy voting last year after coming over from his native Russia, finishing fifth on the Jackets in scoring with 34 points (18 G, 16 A) in 75 games.

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