With few intriguing forward pieces remaining on the free agent market, many teams are turning to the RFA market and the trade market to upgrade their top-six.
Pittsburgh Penguins forwards Rickard Rakell and teammate Bryan Rust are - once again - generating a lot of interest on the market, but, according to a new report, it's going to cost a lot.
On Monday's edition of the Chris Johnston Show, Johnston said that it will cost a lot for either player to be moved but that the price for Rust is "especially high."
"Rust is a really interesting player," Johnston said. "I mean, he was a big part of those 2016 and 2017 Cup wins. That would be an even more emotional type of trade, I would say, for the Penguins, just because he's been around so long, he's been a linemate quite often of Sidney Crosby's, and he's been a consistent player. You look at his production, and he's giving you 20-plus goals every year - year, after year, after year - and knows what it takes to play a winning brand of hockey.
"So, the price on him, I know, is especially high."
3 Trade Destinations For Penguins’ Winger Bryan Rust - And What The Return Should Look Like
According to many, Day One of free agency has been a bit of letdown.
Johnston also reiterated this stance on Rust and Rakell during Thursday's edition of the show in conjunction with talking about a potential Erik Karlsson trade.
"Those are two players as well... both have term left on their deals, so the Penguins are in this spot where, obviously, Kyle Dubas is turning things over and getting younger," Johnston said. "But, he's not under particular pressure in any of those circumstances to have to do something. I think he has the ability to, kind of, set a price and wait for it. And, if it's not there, well... there is a trade deadline, there's next summer, and all those types of things."
Rakell, 32, and Rust, 33, are both coming off of career years. Rakell was dealt to the Penguins at the 2022 trade deadline, and in 2024-25, registered career-highs in goals (35) and points (70). He has hit the 30-goal mark three times in his career as well as the 20-goal mark six times and has three years remaining on a contract that pays him $5 million annually.
Rust, 33, was a third-round pick (80th overall) of the Penguins in 2010 and is a two-time Stanley Cup champion. He has put up six consecutive seasons of 20 or more goals and registered his first career 30-goal season in 2024-25, recording 31 goals and 65 points in 71 games. He has spent the vast majority of the past few seasons flanking Sidney Crosby's right, and he also has three years left on his deal at $5.125 million per year.
On Jul. 1, Rust's full no-movement clause expired, making the possibility of a trade more likely. But Dubas has said that any offer for Rust would have to "blow us away."
NHL Trade Rumors: Penguins Star Generating 'A Ton Of Interest'
The <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a> are certainly a team to keep an eye on this summer. It is no secret that they are open to making changes, and multiple players from their roster have been discussed as trade candidates.
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Feature image credit: Jerome Miron - Imagn Images