Rust to IR: Penguins lose top-six veteran for at least six weeks
Pittsburgh placed veteran forward Bryan Rust on injured reserve Wednesday with a lower-body injury, and coach Dan Muse said the 34-year-old will be out at least six weeks before being re-evaluated.
Rust suffered the injury in Monday’s loss at Utah, leaving in the third period and not returning. The Penguins announced the move on Wednesday, at the same time recalling winger Rutger McGroarty and defenseman Chase Pietila in a pair of AHL recalls from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to fill the two open roster spots.
Six weeks, then a re-evaluation
At the six-week mark Rust will be re-assessed, so the absence could run longer than that floor. The Penguins were also without rookie forward Ben Kindel on Wednesday: he was placed on injured reserve after collapsing during the team flight Monday and being hospitalized, a development the club confirmed alongside the Rust and recall moves.
Rust was in top-six minutes and producing at his usual rate despite the lost time, with three goals and two assists in seven games this season after back-to-back 65-point campaigns. Drafted by Pittsburgh 16 years ago, he has played 717 games for the club.
Who fills the gap
Thomas Novak was elevated into a top-line winger role for Wednesday’s home game against Florida. McGroarty, the 14th overall pick in 2022, had been tied with Avery Hayes for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton scoring lead with nine points in six AHL games, and he is expected to get an extended look rather than a spot start. Pietila, a 22-year-old fourth-round pick, adds size and physicality as a depth option.
The timing complicates matters beyond the lineup. Rust had been reported two days earlier as one of the veterans Pittsburgh is willing to move as the club skews younger and a six-week absence freezes whatever value he carried into that window. The Penguins, 3-6-1 and 27th in the league on a four-game losing streak, now absorb the loss of a core contributor with a patched-to-fourth depth chart.