The Pittsburgh Penguins forward is happy to stay home.
PITTSBURGH -- Once an offer from the Pittsburgh Penguins was on the table for Bryan Rust, be basically had his answer. And while in the middle of his son's birthday party, he signed a six-year deal to stay in the Steel City.
"Who knows what else could have been out there, but we can definitely be happy with the deal that was done and we couldn't be happier that we're staying in Pittsburgh," Rust said.
The Penguins forward spoke with media after inking his new deal and said there was little interest in moving into free agency once he saw what the Penguins were willing to offer.
"We couldn't be happier that we're staying in Pittsburgh," Rust said. "The terms of the contract were important. Six years is a long time... This is a [contract] number I'm really happy with. If that helps out some other guys that want to be here, that's awesome."
Staying in Pittsburgh was the goal all along. He said before the deal that he just wanted a reasonable contract, and now, he gets to stay home.
"And then away from the rink, we love the city of Pittsburgh," Rust said. "Obviously, pretty close to home, not too far for my wife. This is where Kelsey and I met. This is where we had a son. This place is definitely near and dear to our heart.
"Being able to continue to grow those away from the rink memories as well as trying to make a few more memories at the rink, I think just makes it that much more special."
And finally, when it comes to the team - why wouldn't he want to stay with the Penguins.
"Hockey-wise, the staff, the owners, management, players, coaches - everybody does such a good job of making Pittsburgh an unbelievable place to play," Rust said. "We get treated so well; we get pretty much everything that we can want. That definitely played a big factor."
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