For Penguins forward Bryan Rust 'getting something done in Pittsburgh' was paramount

Saturday provided a cause to celebrate for Bryan Rust.

His son, Hunter, had his first birthday party.

And the festivities didn’t end with a cake smash.

A contract signing extended the cheers into the evening.

Saturday evening, Hunter’s father agreed to a six-year deal worth $30.75 million to remain a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

“We had my son’s first birthday party planned,” Rust said Sunday via video conference with media. “We were doing a lot of setting up for that and getting ready for that. Had a bunch of family and friends in town, too. We celebrated that and as pretty much as that was starting to shut down, we had finalized the deal. So it turned from (his son’s) birthday into the celebratory party (for the contract). Took that and ran with it.”

Rust’s new deal will potentially keep him running with the Penguins through the 2027-28 season with a cap hit of $5.125 million, a fairly affordable rate for a consistent 20-goal threat who offers more than just a potent offensive game.

It’s conceivable, if not probable that Rust could have commanded a heavier price tag had he hit the open market when the NHL’s free agent signing period opens July 13.

“Obviously, (there were) conversations between my agent and I about what could possibly be out there and where and all that stuff and logistics,” said Rust, whose previous contract carried a salary cap hit of $3.5 million. “Where we came to a settling point was definitely somewhere we could be happy with the deal that could be done. Who knows what else could have been out there? We definitely couldn’t be happy with the deal that was done, and we couldn’t be happier that we’re staying in Pittsburgh.”

The length of that stay in Pittsburgh appeared to be paramount.

“For me, the term of the contract was important,” Rust said. “Obviously, six years is a long time. Talking with my agent, we were going back and forth about what could happen. But I think our mindset was getting something done in Pittsburgh.”

If Rust were to serve the entirety of the deal with the Penguins – according to Cap Friendly, this contract contains a no-movement clause for the first three years – he could potentially compile a tenure with the team that lasts 14 seasons.

To date, franchise icons Mario Lemieux (17 seasons), Sidney Crosby (17), Kris Letang (16) and Evgeni Malkin (16) are the only players who have enjoyed tenures with the Penguins that long.

“The opportunity to have that happen is cool,” Rust said. “A lot of pride comes with being able to say you played with one organization for most, if not, all of your career. That definitely played into a little bit of a factor when making this decision.”

For Penguins management, decisions on its remaining pending free agents, most notably Letang and Malkin.

With Rust signed, the Penguins have 15 players projected to be on their 2022-23 NHL roster signed to contracts worth $58,541,842 (including a dead cap hit of $1,916,667 for the 2020 buyout of former defenseman Jack Johnson) against a projected salary cap of $82.5 million according to Cap Friendly.

That leaves $23,958,158 to fill out the rest of the roster.

One member of the team certainly hopes Letang and Malkin are part of that group.

“Obviously, I would love to have those guys around, “Rust said. “Those guys are two good friends of mine, teammates for a long time. I love those guys. I haven’t gotten into too many conversations about them. I’m not sure where they stand. … We’d obviously love to have those two guys back. They’re two unbelievable players, they’re two probable hall of famers.

“We’ll see where the rest of the summer goes but they’re guys we obviously want to keep.”

Follow the Penguins all season long.