Penguins' Bryan Rust enjoys career year, laments long offseason to come

In a way, it was a fitting – if frustrating – end to Bryan Rust’s 2023-24.

During the second period of a season-ending 5-4 road loss to the New York Islanders, the Pittsburgh Penguins all-everything right winger was checked into the visiting bench and one of the doors popped opened, causing Rust to smash his thigh into the door frame.

Rust was in clear pain and left the game for a few moments. But only a few. He walked off whatever agony was created through that collision and got back on the ice.

If there was an 83rd game of the season, Rust would have likely labored through whatever welt or contusion was on his leg and done whatever he could to drag the Penguins closer to a playoff spot.

That’s largely what he did in the 62 he could play this season.

Despite missing 20 games due to various maladies, Rust set a career-high in goals (28) and scored 56 points, two short of his career-best in that category.

Pittsburgh goal!

Scored by Bryan Rust with 07:33 remaining in the 1st period.

Assisted by Sidney Crosby and Drew O'Connor.

Pittsburgh: 2
New York: 2#NYRvsPIT#LetsGoPens#NYRpic.twitter.com/dhnC3rfE1q

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) March 16, 2024

“For myself and my own game, I was happy with my game,” Rust said during the team’s exit interviews on April 18. “I thought I was good this season. Didn’t have the season last year that I would have liked and tried to work really hard over the summer to get better and help this team win again. I played better, but I obviously didn’t do enough to help this team win again, which is the unfortunate part. Being hurt for (the 22) games I missed didn’t really help the equation either.”

Rust was a big part of the alchemy of the Penguins’ late push for a playoff spot in the final weeks of the regular season. During the team’s 8-2-3 surge in the final 13 games of the schedule, Rust produced 15 points (seven goals, eight assists). Only linemate Sidney Crosby generated more offense (nine goals, 16 assists).

“He’s an honest player and he brings an honest effort every game,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said of Rust on April 11. “You know what you’re going to get from him. He plays on both sides of the puck. He plays in every situation. He’s a first-over-the-boards penalty kill guy. He made his mark in the league being a penalty killer and a checker, and he’s never lost that element in his game. But he also now has evolved into an offensive player. He’s on our first power-play (unit), he’s playing with Sid (on the top unit).

“He’s just a terrific player on both sides of the puck. He’s just a Pittsburgh Penguin.”

The 31-year-old Rust is slated to be a member of the Penguins for the next four years per the parameters of the six-year contract he signed in 2022. Having been a vital component of the franchise’s two most recent Stanley Cup championships in 2016 and 2017 when he was a 20-something, Rust is eager to be part of getting the Penguins back to those heights after missing the playoffs for two consecutive campaigns.

“It’s an unfortunately long offseason,” Rust lamented. “Everybody in here who is going to be back, who will be back, who wants to be back – whatever might happen over the summer – I think everyone will come back with a bit of a chip on their shoulder knowing how good we could be over this last month. That’s only going to help us.”

Rust figures to once again be one of the leading factors in helping the Penguins return to the playoffs next season.

“Guys want to be here. We have an extremely good group of high-character guys throughout the room, guys who care about each other. This organization is second to none in terms of how we’re treated and how things are run. Guys want to be here, guys want to win here, guys want to see this team get to the top of the mountain again.

“We’re all definitely a little bit disappointed — not a little — a lot disappointed with how this year turned out. We would love to get another shot next year.”