Penguins should keep Rust on Crosby’s wing
It absolutely belongs in the Pittsburgh sports radio Topic Hall of Fame, right up there with “Did the Patriots cheat?” “How much blame does Ben get?” and “Why’s Nutting so cheap?”
It might be the grandaddy of ’em all.
“Does Sid need a winger?” We’ve been talking about it since Sidney Crosby broke into the NHL in 2005. Oh, who am I kidding? We’ve been talking about it since before he broke into the league (and one of his first wingers was Ziggy Palffy, whose sudden retirement during Crosby’s rookie year might have put this Babe Ruth-like curse on the talk-radio industry).
Sixteen years later, Sid decidedly does not need a winger. Not right now. Maybe not for a very long time. He has two excellent ones, two with whom he could grow old, in Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust.
The key there is to sign Rust, one of the NHL’s best bargains at $3.5 million annually, to a richly deserved, long-term extension. He has one year left on his contract, at which time he could become an unrestricted free agent.
The Penguins must lock him well before then.
Rust, 28, has become one of their best all-around players. He’s a goal scorer. He’s a power-play regular. He’s clutch. He isn’t afraid to block a shot. He remains one of the team’s fastest skaters (with plenty of company). He’s a beast, is what he is. There was talk of trading Rust in recent years. I always thought that was nuts. He’s the kind of player you win with, not trade away.
As coach Mike Sullivan recently said of Rust: “He’s turned himself into a real impact NHL player. The consistency he brings to the rink, for me, is one of the biggest challenges, and he’s found the way to bring that every night.”
People keep wanting to shut the Penguins’ proverbial window — in topic form, that would go, “Is the Penguins’ window shut?” — but it seems pretty clear the window remains wide open and could be for a while because of all the 20-somethings around here.
If the idea is to surround Crosby and Evgeni Malkin with younger talent in order to stay in contention, the Penguins are in good position. The notion that Ron Hextall and Brian Burke were brought in to blow it up never made sense. They were brought in to keep hope alive, I believe, while not mortgaging the future (topic: “Have the Penguins mortgaged their future?”).
Contrary to popular belief, neither Ray Shero nor Jim Rutherford ruined the future at the expense of the present.
The Penguins aren’t exactly swimming in elite prospects. I’ll grant you that. But look at the roster and you’ll see plenty of productive and promising 20-somethings — the kinds of players who keep windows open.
Start in goal, where 25year-old Tristan Jarry has regained his form and looks like a long-term solution. Casey DeSmith, 29, would be a logical partner.
Up front, you have Guentzel, 26, Rust, Kasperi Kapanen, 24, and Teddy Blueger, 26, who has settled into the third-line role behind Crosby and Malkin with Zach Aston-Reese, 26, and Brandon Tanev, 29, on his wings. Kapanen might be the guy with whom Malkin could grow old, assuming Malkin and the Penguins have a mutual desire to continue their relationship late into his 30s.
Jared McCann, still just 24, is a wild card. He might be playing his way into
another contract, as well. Some younger role players — Sam Lafferty, Radim Zohorna, Anthony Angello, etc., — have shown promise. Evan Rodrigues, 27, has been a pleasant surprise.
On the back end, Brian Dumoulin still is clinging to his 20s. John Marino is 23. Mike Matheson’s 26, Marcus Pettersson 24 and Codi Ceci 27 (albeit on a one-year deal). Pierre-Olivier Joseph, 21, will be a regular sooner rather than later and has top-pairing potential.
It’s likely the Penguins will eventually have to deal one of their bloated contracts — Pettersson’s or Matheson’s — from the left side of their defense, but you get the picture here.
This is hardly a decrepit team. The rust hasn’t settled in just yet.
And Sid doesn’t need a winger.