With the Pittsburgh Penguins entering the offseason after a brief return to the postseason, TribLive will offer Penguins A to Z, a player-by-player look at all 53 individuals signed to an NHL contract — including those whose deals do not begin until future seasons — with the organization.

Starting with veteran Noel Acciari and going on through to prospect Bill Zonnon, every player will be profiled in alphabetical order (with newly acquired forward Oliver Okuliar tacked on after Zonnon).

This series is scheduled to be published every day until June 24, two days before the start of the NHL Draft. In the event of a transaction, that schedule will be altered as necessary.

(Note: All contract information courtesy of Puckpedia.)

Bryan Rust

Position: Right winger

Shoots: Right

Age: 34

Height: 5-foot-11

Weight: 202 pounds

2025-26 NHL regular season statistics: 72 games, 65 points (29 goals, 36 assists), 19:57 of average ice time per contest

2025-26 AHL postseason statistics: Six games, two points (one goal, one assist), 20:44 of average ice time per contest

Contract: In the fourth year of a six-year contract with a salary cap hit of $5.125 million. Pending unrestricted free agent in 2028

(This contract contained a no-movement clause in its first three years.)

Acquired: Third-round draft pick (No. 80 overall), June 26, 2010

Last season: There wasn’t a great deal of intrigue to Bryan Rust’s 2025-26 campaign.

That’s to say, he largely did what he always does.

He powered through injuries, earned ice time in just about every situation, reached the 20-goal mark (almost 30, again) and wound up being one of the Penguins’ most indispensable players.

An undisclosed injury he suffered in the preseason landed him on injured reserve to open the regular season and cost him the first two games of the campaign. Once he recovered, Rust inhabited his typical roles on the right wing of the top line, top power-play unit and the penalty kill unit.

From those stations, he posted 36 points (16 goals, 20 assists) in 40 games before being sidelined again in mid-January due to an undisclosed ailment that cost him two games.

A rarity for Rust occurred in late January when he was suspended for the first time in his 12-year career after hitting Vancouver Canucks forward Brock Boeser in the head during a 3-2 road win Jan. 25. That infraction forced him to sit for three games.

Following the NHL’s Olympic break throughout February, Rust was a mainstay in the lineup for 23 of the team’s final 26 games, compiling 25 points (10 goals, 15 assists) over that span and helping the club secure its first postseason berth since 2022.

In the postseason, Rust was fairly inert despite filling all of his typical roles as he was limited to a goal and an assist over six games in an opening-round series against the Philadelphia Flyers.

The future: Much like linemate Rickard Rakell, there is plenty of valid speculation as to Rust’s status with the Penguins, given the organization’s focus on improving the pool of future assets and Rust’s contractual status (particularly after his no-movement clause expired in the 2025 offseason).

But it’s hard to imagine a scenario where Penguins management is actively shopping him around for a handful of draft picks. He’s just too valuable to this club on and off the ice. In addition to his consistent offensive acumen and defensive prowess, Rust is routinely the first player to serve as an alternate captain whenever one of the three incumbent leaders — forwards Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, as well as defenseman Kris Letang — is absent for any reason.

Rust’s health has become a legitimate concern as he is in his mid-30s — he turned 34 on May 11 — and he plays a fairly demanding style. Perhaps sparing him from the grinding of the penalty kill — he averaged 1:36 of short-handed ice time per contest — is a consideration for coaches just to make life a bit easier for Rust.

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Regardless of how he is deployed, Rust is indispensable as always.