Even after reaching the 30-goal mark for the first time last season, Bryan Rust hasn’t lost appreciation for that 20-goal plateau.
He reached that mark for the seventh consecutive season Sunday during a 5-0 home win against the Vegas Golden Knights.
“I’m proud of that,” Rust said after the game. “From where I started as a non-offensive threat into doing that seven years in a row, I think I’m really proud of that. I’ve got to give a lot of credit to the guys that I’ve played with, teams that I’ve been on.
“But I’ve worked hard at it.”
The nature of his 20th goal Sunday was evidence of that.
During a power-play sequence for the Penguins in the second period, Rust went to the slot, fended off Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb, then cleaned up a rebound before Golden Knights defenseman Jeremy Lauzon could get a stick on the puck.
On the ensuing power play...
— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) March 1, 2026
We like you just the way you are, Rusty ????
(via @NHL_On_TNT) https://t.co/61PBRvA34L pic.twitter.com/KzzPIOJHBe
Once upon a time, before he reached the 20-goal mark in 2019-20, to be precise, Rust was scared — superstitious, really — to even mention that figure.
Today, he’s more comfortable with discourse over the number.
“No more superstitions with it,” Rust said. “Glad nobody asked me about it, though, the last couple of weeks. So, thanks for that.
“It’s one of those benchmark things that usually, guys who score 20 are offensive players and they’ve helped contribute to the team offensively over the course of the year.”
When Rust first broke into the NHL in 2014-15, his offensive contributions were limited because his acumen for generating offense was limited. But with the benefit of a dozen seasons in the NHL, he has figured out how to produce through some level of guile.
“My ability to be able to read the offense and read when to go in and when to lie in the weeds is something that I’ve adapted over the years and continue to work on, Rust said. “There’s times to drive the net and simply outwork (opponents) and get rebounds and shoot. But there’s times also to wait in the weeds and let the other guys on the ice make the space for you.”
His contributions aren’t limited to simply putting the puck in the net, however. A bottom-six winger who found ice time on the penalty kill when he first established himself as an NHLer, he has stayed true to those roots.
Typically deployed on the right wing of the top line as well as the first power-play unit, he remains a mainstay on the penalty kill.
“Not only is he gifted offensively — he has a great shot — but I think he shows as a mark of a leader, being heavy in the defensive zone, blocking big shots on that (penalty kill) and all that,” Penguins goaltender Arturs Silovs said. “He’s doing a tremendous job of putting that energy and effort there. There’s a lot to get inspired from.
“A lot of guys who (penalty) kill with him, they take that energy from him as well and feed from it. And everyone does their best.”
All of those attributes are valuable for a playoff team. And few observers — externally — expected the Penguins to be a playoff-caliber team entering this season.
That led to ample and viable suggestions that the Penguins, perceived to be in the midst of a lengthy rebuilding project, would be willing to trade Rust — or simply should trade him — for future assets. Especially after the no-movement clause in his contract expired this past offseason.
Rust wasn’t oblivious to that chatter.
But he’s just happy it has quieted down — about him, at least — as the NHL’s trade deadline approaches at 3 p.m. Friday.
“I’ll be honest, it’s a whole hell of a lot more fun having these conversations about us winning and moving forward the rest of the year than having the other conversations, sitting on pins and needles, thinking (of) what might happen,” Rust said. “It is a whole lot more fun that way.
“I’ve always been extremely happy to be here. This is home. Everything I’ve done in my adult life is in Pittsburgh, and I obviously don’t want to go anywhere else.”
Note: The Penguins had a scheduled day off Monday for travel. They visit the Boston Bruins at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
