The Penguins decided not to trade forward Bryan Rust this past off-season, and it has turned out to be a smart decision.
During the 2025 NHL off-season, Pittsburgh Penguins forward Bryan Rust was one of the top names in the rumor mill. It was understandable, as the Penguins looked like they were heading toward a rebuild, and the 33-year-old winger just had a career year in 2024-25.
However, after months of trade rumors, the Penguins elected not to trade Rust this past summer. Now, it is clear that the Penguins made the right decision holding onto the veteran forward.
Rust has been a major reason for the Penguins' turnaround this season, and the truth is in his stats. In 70 games this season with the Penguins, he has 28 goals and 64 points. He has also set a new career-high with 36 assists and needs only two more points to set another career-high.
With this, it is apparent that the Penguins made the right call not trading Rust. He has not only been having an excellent season offensively for the Penguins but has continued to be an incredibly important leader in their room.
It will now be interesting to see how Rust finishes off the season from here, but it is hard not to be happy with what he has provided for the Penguins this campaign.