Bryan Rust in position to break out again after "down" season for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The top six forwards of the Pittsburgh Penguins carried the team throughout a turbulent season in 2022. Entering the 2023 season, most of that unit remains intact and will be relied upon once again to lead the charge offensively for the team.

Bryan Rust was considered by many as the least impactful of the Penguins' top forwards last season. His "down year" produced 20 goals and 26 assists in 81 games. While those scoring numbers shrunk from his previous season, Rust impacted the team in other ways.

With the departures of penalty-killing forwards like Zach Aston-Reese and Evan Rodrigues, Rust was tasked with filling that hole on the Penguins' roster. The Penguins top-line winger played significantly more time on the penalty kill last season than in the previous three seasons.

Nine percent of Rust's ice time in 2022-23 was spent killing penalties. Comparatively, Rust's shorthanded ice time percentage was four percent in 2021-22 and two percent in 2020-21, the two seasons that established Rust as a top-line winger for the Penguins.

When Rust was on the ice at 5v5, he was one of the top players in the NHL at creating offense. According to a JFresh hockey, Rust ranked 35th in the NHL in scoring chance creation based on tracked shot and pass data via AllThreeZones.com.

While Rust is celebrated for his ability to play all three phases, he and the Penguins are better served with Rust playing less shorthanded ice time.

This offseason, the Penguins acquired a safeguard to help Rust re-discover those elevated offensive numbers by trading for Reilly Smith and bolstering the bottom six with defensive forwards.

Allocating a lower percentage of Rust's total ice time to killing penalties in 2023 will lead to improved scoring statistics for Rust. The Penguins should expect a more cohesive and potent offensive attack next season, with Rust leading the charge.

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