Penguins Notes: Malkin, Rust, Rakell
When the Pittsburgh Penguins were eliminated from the first round of the playoffs in seven games, it may have signaled the end of a significant era. Many of the team’s most recognizable players are pending unrestricted free agents, including Russian superstar Evgeni Malkin. When speaking to the media today in his end-of-year press conference, Malkin made his desire to stay in Pittsburgh very clear:
I love this city and I love these fans so much. If this team wants new blood and young guys and they say to me to move on, we will see… I believe in my agent and I trust him. I want to stay here. I want to play in the NHL… I hope I stay here. I hope I retire here.
The 35-year-old Malkin explained that he wants to play three or four more years in the NHL and was effusive in praising fellow Penguins legends Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang, the latter of which is also a free agent this summer. Malkin has spent his entire career to this point in Pittsburgh, a career that includes 981 regular season games, 1,146 points, a Calder trophy, Hart trophy, two Art Ross trophies, a Conn Smythe, and three Stanley Cup championships. Calling it his “second hometown” he is hoping that the two sides can come to an agreement on a new contract.
- One of the other extremely important pending free agents wasn’t quite as ready to call Pittsburgh his hometown, at least not in terms of a discount. Bryan Rust explained that he feels as though he has outperformed his contract the last few seasons and is looking for a “reasonable” deal if he’s to stay in Pittsburgh. There’s no doubt that Rust has produced much more than the average $3.5MM player the last few seasons, which have included three-straight years of at least 22 goals. The argument might be that he has yet to play more than 72 games in a single season, which has reduced his overall totals. The 30-year-old has never broken the 60-point mark, despite scoring at nearly a point-per-game pace in the last few years.
- Then there is Rickard Rakell, who only arrived a few weeks ago at the trade deadline. The former Anaheim Ducks winger fit in quite well in Pittsburgh and believes it is “definitely” a place he would like to come back to if possible. Rakell admitted that he understands the team has some bigger free agents to deal with first, but is obviously open to a contract extension with a club where he believes he can take his game to “the next level.” Rakell scored 13 points in 19 games down the stretch but was ultimately forced out of the first-round series and saw just 19 minutes against the New York Rangers.
2022 King Clancy Trophy Nominees Announced
The NHL has announced the 31 nominees for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, annually presented to “the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.” Last year’s winner was Pekka Rinne of the Nashville Predators.
Each team submits one nominee. This year’s are:
Anaheim Ducks: Ryan Getzlaf
Arizona Coyotes: Andrew Ladd
Boston Bruins: Nick Foligno
Buffalo Sabres: Jeff Skinner
Calgary Flames: Mikael Backlund
Carolina Hurricanes: Jordan Staal
Chicago Blackhawks: Connor Murphy
Colorado Avalanche: Nazem Kadri
Columbus Blue Jackets: Jack Roslovic
Dallas Stars: Jason Robertson
Detroit Red Wings: Alex Nedeljkovic
Edmonton Oilers: Darnell Nurse
Florida Panthers: Aleksander Barkov
Los Angeles Kings: Cal Petersen
Minnesota Wild: Matt Dumba
Montreal Canadiens: Jake Allen
Nashville Predators: Luke Kunin
New Jersey Devils: P.K. Subban
New York Islanders: Anders Lee
New York Rangers: Chris Kreider
Ottawa Senators: Nick Holden
Philadelphia Flyers: Scott Laughton
Pittsburgh Penguins: Bryan Rust
San Jose Sharks: Matt Nieto
Seattle Kraken: Jaden Schwartz
St. Louis Blues: Ryan O’Reilly
Tampa Bay Lightning: Victor Hedman
Toronto Maple Leafs: Wayne Simmonds
Vancouver Canucks: Bo Horvat
Vegas Golden Knights: Max Pacioretty
Washington Capitals: Garnet Hathaway
Winnipeg Jets: Josh Morrissey
Penguins Notes: Forward Depth, Big Three, Drozg
Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Ron Hextall spoke with the media today and touched on several subjects, including his trade deadline plans. While he feels “pretty good” about the team overall, he did mention that he would like to add to his forward group if possible. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic chimes in to specify that the Penguins are looking for a top-six scoring winger, one that comes with some term and is not an expiring contract.
There will be countless players linked to the Penguins in the coming days and it is important to note that the team has their first-round pick still, something the franchise has been notorious for dangling whenever they want to add talent. In fact, the Penguins have selected a player in the first round just twice since 2013, and one of those–Kasperi Kapanen–was traded before he ever played a game for the team, then bought back in another deal that included a first.
- Hextall also touched on the big three pending free agents in Pittsburgh, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, and Bryan Rust. “Geno” and “Tanger” are two of the team’s top priorities according to the front office executive, who hopes that they can work out a deal that works for both sides in all three cases. Just yesterday a report emerged on Letang’s negotiations, but things are much less clear with a player like Rust, who is in line for a huge raise over the $3.5MM cap hit he has carried the last four seasons. For quite some time now he’s been much more than the quality middle-six depth that signed that contract but there are still concerns over his durability that has limited him to just 36 games this year, and how the team will fit in all three with a salary cap that isn’t set to substantially increase for a little while longer.
- Jan Drozg, in the final season of his three-year entry-level contract, has been loaned from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to the Grand Rapids Griffins, AHL affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings. The 22-year-old has ten points in 23 games for the AHL Penguins this season but has played just once in the past month. At this point in his career, Drozg seems like a prime candidate to go unqualified in the offseason or head back to Europe to continue his development elsewhere. For now, his career takes him to Grand Rapids where he will hopefully get a bigger opportunity.
Snapshots: Rust, Byron, Sharks
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Bryan Rust practiced with the team today after missing their last four games while in COVID protocol, per team reporter Michelle Crechiolo. The Penguins face off against Vegas tomorrow night, but head coach Mike Sullivan said today that he’s unsure whether or not he’ll insert Rust into the lineup. Rust’s yet again been lethal when in the lineup, although he’s been limited to just 15 games this season. He has nine goals and 11 points, on pace for his second career season above a point-per-game pace.
More from around the league:
- Montreal Canadiens head coach Dominique Ducharme issued a further update today on injured winger Paul Byron, stating that he’s probable to join the team at some point during the upcoming week. Byron’s been absent the entire 2021-22 season after having offseason hip injury, and he was expected to miss about five months. He’s now missed about five-and-a-half, so it’s a good sign that he won’t be out much longer. The 32-year-old winger has 26 points in 75 games over the past two seasons and will provide valuable leadership presence to a struggling Canadiens team.
- The San Jose Sharks could be getting a pair of players back into the fold. Head coach Bob Boughner said today that goalie James Reimer — who’d been out with a lower-body injury for over a week — and forward Alexander Barabanov, who was on COVID protocol, could be back in the team’s lineup for their Monday night game against Los Angeles. Both Reimer and Barabanov have been valuable parts of an impressive Sharks team this season. Reimer’s posted strong numbers in a tandem with Adin Hill, and Barabanov has 20 points through 32 games.
Penguins Place Bryan Rust And Brock McGinn In COVID Protocol
The Penguins are looking for their 11th straight victory today against Dallas but they will be without a pair of forwards for this one as the team announced (Twitter link) that wingers Bryan Rust and Brock McGinn have been placed in COVID protocol. Head coach Mike Sullivan clarified that McGinn tested positive yesterday while Rust tested positive this morning.
Rust has been on quite the hot streak lately, collecting seven goals and four assists in just three games since returning from a lower-body injury so the timing for this news is certainly far from ideal. McGinn, meanwhile, has been a decent secondary scorer in his first season with Pittsburgh, picking up nine goals in 33 games so far.
The two join forward Drew O’Connor as those currently unavailable to COVID protocol. As a result of the confirmed positive tests, they will miss at least five days past the date they tested positive which will keep McGinn out for at least the next two games and Rust for the next three. Pittsburgh does get one player back from COVID protocol today, however, as center Jeff Carter returns after missing the last three contests.
Jake Guentzel, Bryan Rust Activated From Injured Reserve
In a day that’s seen a flurry of roster moves from the Pittsburgh Penguins, some good news is coming in the form of the returns of forwards Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust. Per the NHL, they were activated today in advance of the Penguins’ game against San Jose.
In corresponding moves, however, the Penguins removed four players from the active roster. Brian Boyle is on a short personal leave of absence after the birth of his daughter, but forwards Jeff Carter and Kasperi Kapanen and goalie Tristan Jarry were also removed, as they entered COVID protocol last week.
Guentzel has been out of the lineup since December 8 with an upper-body injury, but he still remains the team’s leader in points. The 27-year-old has 15 goals and 12 assists through 24 games, a testament to how banged up the Penguins have been this year.
Rust is having a really tough season with injuries, being limited to only 12 games. He missed the entire month of December with his second lower-body injury of the season.
In their returns to the lineup, they’ll likely resume their top-line roles flanking Sidney Crosby.
Pittsburgh Penguins Add Six To COVID Protocol
The Pittsburgh Penguins have announced that Teddy Blueger, Tristan Jarry, John Marino, Mike Matheson, Evan Rodrigues, and Dominik Simon have all been added to the COVID protocol and are currently unavailable. Jake Guentzel will also miss practice with a non-COVID illness.
Losing those six is obviously a huge blow, but it wasn’t all doom and gloom at Penguins practice today. Bryan Rust and Evgeni Malkin both took the ice in regular black sweaters, indicating they’ve been cleared for full contact and are approaching a return to action.
Pittsburgh is on a seven-game win stream and has climbed their way back into the Metropolitan playoff mix, sitting now just four points out of first place. While they will now have to patchwork a lineup together, the rest of the NHL is in a similar boat. Malkin hasn’t played yet this season after undergoing offseason surgery and should offer a significant boost when he does return to the lineup. Rust, meanwhile, missed all of December and has played in just 12 games so far.
Snapshots: All-Star Game, Cooper, World Juniors, Rust
While it appears the NHL and NHLPA will soon officially be pulling the plug on participating in the upcoming Olympics, it doesn’t appear as if All-Star Weekend will be doomed to a similar fate. At least, not yet. ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski notes that at this point, there haven’t been any substantial discussions about whether or not to delay or cancel that event which is scheduled for February 4th and 5th in Vegas. Depending on what happens over the coming weeks when it comes to further postponements on the schedule, the league may need to utilize those dates for makeup games but after not having the event last season, it’s one they’ll likely try to keep intact if they can.
More from around the hockey world:
- Prior to their game against Vegas tonight, Lightning head coach Jon Cooper was placed in COVID protocol, relays Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). Tampa Bay was one of the few teams left that didn’t have anyone in COVID protocol before this placement.
- The World Juniors will have considerably fewer fans than originally planned for following an announcement that Alberta will be limiting capacity to 50% at both arenas. There is no timeline for when those measures will be revisited and they will also affect the Flames and Oilers once their games resume although Edmonton comes out of the holiday break with a six-game road trip due to the tournament.
- The Penguins and winger Bryan Rust held extension talks but have shelved them after being unable to find common ground in talks, reports Pittsburgh Hockey Now’s Dan Kingerski. It has been a tough season for the 29-year-old who has been limited to just a dozen appearances due to injuries after two strong years that saw him pot 49 goals in 111 games which doesn’t help his case as he looks to land a sizable raise on his current $3.75MM AAV. Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette mentions that Rust skated with the team in Monday – albeit in a non-contact jersey – which suggests that he could be back not long after play resumes following the holiday break.
Snapshots: Three Stars, Penguins, Avalanche
The NHL has released the Three Stars for last week, and Alex Ovechkin has taken home the top spot once again. The Russian Machine notched his 28th career hat trick and totaled seven points on the week, taking him ahead of Connor McDavid and into second place in the league scoring race. His 19 goals in 22 games (at age-36 no less) have brought him within 145 of Wayne Gretzky‘s all-time record and has him just 17 behind Jaromir Jagr for third place. With four years left on his new extension and still 60 games left this season, it seems to be a matter of when, not if, Ovechkin will set the NHL record for goals.
Second and third place have been given to Tristan Jarry and Cale Makar respectively, after two more fantastic weeks. Jarry stopped 91 of 93 shots he faced to win all three games for the Pittsburgh Penguins, bringing his overall record to 10-4-3 on the year. The 26-year-old netminder has now played more minutes than any other goalie in the league and has a .936 save percentage on the year. Makar meanwhile is showing once again why he has been a Norris nominee through his first two seasons in the league, as the 23-year-old defenseman now has nine goals and 20 points in 16 games. That’s just two points behind John Carlson for the most by a defenseman, despite having played six fewer games so far and his 1.25 points-per-game rate ties him for sixth among all players (not just defensemen) that have suited up at least ten times.
- While Jarry has led the Penguins to a better record of late, he might be getting some help soon. Evgeni Malkin was on the ice at practice today in a non-contact sweater, and though there’s still no exact timeline for his return to action, it’s good to see him back with teammates. The 35-year-old hasn’t played yet this season after offseason surgery but would obviously be a huge boost to the Penguins when healthy. That’s especially true now that Bryan Rust has been listed as week-to-week with a lower-body injury. He’s not with the team on their current road trip, which starts tonight against the Calgary Flames and lasts through December 10.
- Speaking of teams that may soon receive help, the Avalanche could have Nathan MacKinnon back on Wednesday according to Peter Baugh of The Athletic, who tweets that though nothing is official, it’s “looking like” the superstar center will return against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Unfortunately, that news also comes with a bad injury update, as Ryan Murray is out indefinitely with a lower-body injury that the team is still evaluating. Murray lasted just 11 seconds before leaving the team’s game against Nashville on Saturday.
Injury Notes: Rust, Kase, Wideman
Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan confirmed today that right winger Bryan Rust won’t play Saturday night against the Montreal Canadiens. When talking about Rust’s injury, Sullivan said that “[Rust’s] continuing to be evaluated… I do not have an answer for you about if he will be on our upcoming road trip.” Rust was a late, unexpected scratch for Friday night’s game against the Islanders after suffering a lower-body injury during warmups. Rust has two goals and seven assists through 12 games this season, which has been a tough one for him so far with a variety of injuries and COVID concerns. It will be concerning if Rust doesn’t appear for Pittsburgh on their upcoming road trip, which ends on December 10th and includes stops against the red-hot Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, and Washington Capitals.
More injury notes from around the league:
- Forward Ondrej Kase won’t play for the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday night against Anaheim due to an upper-body injury, head coach Sheldon Keefe said today. Kase missed Toronto’s last game on their Western California swing, a 4-1 win against San Jose. He had an assist in 13:52 worth of ice time against their first California game against Los Angeles. Kase’s netted five goals and three assists through his first 21 games as a Maple Leaf after playing just three games last season due to injury. The one-time 20-goal scorer has looked good, but injuries remain a concern for the embattled Czech winger.
- Per TVA’s Renaud Lavoie, defenseman Chris Wideman is out with an injury for the Montreal Canadiens Saturday night game versus Pittsburgh. Forward Michael Pezzetta will draw back into the lineup after the team had iced 11 forwards and seven defensemen in their last contest. Wideman, who’d signed a one-year, league-minimum deal with Montreal this past offseason to return to the league after a good season abroad in Russia, leads Canadiens defensemen in points with eight.