The Pittsburgh Penguins staged a reunion with members of their 2016 Stanley Cup championship team on Jan. 31.
And forward Bryan Rust, who is still an active member of the team, participated in the festivities.
Things weren’t exactly ideal for him as he was suspended and took to the ice for an introduction wearing a jersey over his street clothes. But the bonds generated during that delicious spring nearly a decade ago superseded any temporary dejection.
“It was fun,” Rust said in Cranberry on Feb. 20. “I think everybody kind of picked up where they left off. Fun to rehash old stories and old memories. Really good group of guys. We’ll always be friends.”
Today, Rust, when not suspended or injured, is virtually entrenched on the Penguins’ top line. But 10 years ago, he was a bottom-six rookie trying to establish himself as a full-time NHLer.
And the Penguins’ bottom-six at that time was quite impressive, considering Rust skated on what was essentially a third line that included an injured Evgeni Malkin at center and Chris Kunitz on the left wing. As for the fourth line, veterans Eric Fehr (right wing) and Matt Cullen (center) skated with rookie Tom Kuhnhackl on the left wing.
(The famed HBK Line of Carl Hagelin, Nick Bonino and Phil Kessel operated as the second line, at least based on ice time.)
Elsewhere in the lineup, defenseman Olli Maatta, a former first-round draft pick, was a healthy scratch for much of that postseason run until veteran Trevor Daley suffered a season-ending ankle injury during the Eastern Conference final.
And famously, Marc-Andre Fleury — who was recovering from a concussion — was supplanted as the starting goaltender by rookie Matt Murray (along with Jeff Zatkoff for a few games in the first round).
The 2015-16 Stanley Cup champions were a deep outfit.
Rust sees some parallels with the 2025-26 squad.
“(Depth has) played a huge part in our success all over the lineup,” Rust said. “It’s the mentality we have in this room. On any given night, it’s going to be any one guy or line or (defensive) pair or goalie stepping up, helping us win games. Everybody’s had that mindset that they’re going to come in and make a difference. And everybody has.”
Penguins goaltender Stuart Skinner has seen depth such as this first hand.
As a member of the Edmonton Oilers, Skinner played in the past two Stanley Cup Finals, losing each time to the Florida Panthers.
Like the Penguins of Sidney Crosby and Malkin, the Oilers have been largely built up around two superstar forwards in Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid but supplemented with a deep roster.
“That’s probably the biggest, biggest reasons why we were able to go that far,” said Skinner, who was traded to the Penguins on Dec. 12. “When you’re a team that has depth – for example, the team that we have in this room – it gives you a chance to grind (opponents) down to stay in games. With the condensed schedule and with a playoff schedule, down the stretch, you get banged up. There’s a lot of things that end up happening. For a team to have minutes going around the whole (lineup), I think it makes a huge difference. You need a third, fourth line that really shuts (opponents) down. It’s crucial to have a team with depth. You can tell the teams that don’t.
“Your top guys can’t play every second of the game.”
As of late, the Penguins’ top guys haven’t played any minutes as Crosby (suspected right leg injury) and Malkin (suspension) are currently unavailable.
The absences of those luminaries, as well as other established veterans, have prompted the Penguins to turn to youth this season, recalling prospects from a restocked roster with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League.
Rookies such as forwards Avery Hayes, Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen have offered contributions after being summoned to the NHL roster. Ditto 18-year-old Ben Kindel, a junior-eligible rookie forward.
Rust saw something similar happen in 2015 when rookies such as himself, Kuhnhackl, Murray and forward Conor Sheary established themselves with the Penguins.
“I was so just focused on just being able to make my mark and help this team win,” Rust said of his play in 2015-16. “And being so new in the league, that I honestly didn’t know (how deep the team was). At that time, ignorance was bliss because you don’t know what you’ve got. You’re just out there enjoying every minute of it. Us young guys who were kind of going through it had that mindset that we’re just going to keep doing it every day and have fun doing it. That took some pressure off. Honestly, it might have made things easier.”
What about the current crop of youngsters?
“The young guys, we’ve got (now), they get it,” Rust said. “And what I mean by that is they understand, they know where they sit in terms of being a young guy in this league. They know they’re really good hockey players and they contribute on the ice. But they’re aware they’re learning off the ice. Their respect for everything, the way they handle themselves, the way they conduct themselves, that can go a long way when you’re a young guy. And also, how close they are as a group of young guys, to be able to have somebody to kind of lean on and go through things with and enjoy the process with, goes a long way.”
Is any of the depth the Penguins have developed or found this season surprising?
It depends on who you ask.
“Yeah, a little bit,” Penguins defenseman Kris Letang said. “Some guys, we didn’t think that at the beginning of the year would have a season like this. But that’s the beauty of things with a change of scenery or playing up and down the lineup, different roles. Sometimes, it creates good things. That’s what is happening this year.”
At least one of Letang’s teammates does not share his perspective.
“I can’t really say it’s surprising,” Skinner said. “Being surrounded by these guys the last two months, it’s not surprising at all. Watching these guys in practice, how hard they work. How seriously we take it but also how much fun we’re having. The chemistry we have with this group is pretty (impressive). Being able to have that, no matter who comes up — we have special players (with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton) — you can really see our depth.”