Rust to Red Wings Unlikely to Happen

The Bryan Rust to the Detroit Red Wings rumors are running hot. However, all logic is pointing to the talk running out of steam before any deal comes to fruition.

With the clock ticking down toward Friday’s 3 p.m. ET NHL trade deadline, the Pittsburgh Penguins have already sent forward Jake Guentzel moving to the Carolina Hurricanes.

DONE DEAL ✅

Jake Guentzel is headed to Raleighwood!

The #NHLTradeDeadline is tomorrow at 3p ET. pic.twitter.com/G04xHMgNee

— NHL (@NHL) March 8, 2024

What the Penguins aren’t interested in doing, though, is a mass sell off of their assets. As long as they have Sidney Crosby in their lineup, the Pens won’t be going into a full tear down. It’s also, as Pittsburgh Hockey Now’s Dan Kingerski pointed out, not necessarily an economically viable formula.

In all likelihood, Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman has been in touch with Kyle Dubas, his Pittsburgh counterpart, in regards to the availability of Rust. These rumors don’t materialize out of thin air.

Certainly, there’s plenty of reasons why Rust, 31, would prove appealing to the Red Wings. He’s a four-time 20-goal scorer, and with 18 on the season, is poised to make it five 20-goal campaigns in succession. As well, the right-winger is a local boy from Pontiac, Michigan. And he’s a two-time Stanley Cup champion.

Still, that doesn’t mean a deal is going to go down. For starters, the Red Wings are set with top-six right-wingers in Patrick Kane and Lucas Raymond.

Penguins Have Plenty Of Reasons To Keep Rust

On the flip side of that coin, why would the Penguin be wanting to ship out Rust? First of all, he’s under contract through the end of the 2027-28 season, with an annual cap hit of $5.125 million. In today’s market, that’s a fair price for a consistent offensive producer.

Penguins reporter Dan Kingerski on who will remain with the #Penguins after the trade deadline:

Jeff Carter – Yes
Jake Guentzel – No
Rickard Rakell – Yes
Bryan Rust – Yes
Reilly Smith – No
Erik Karlsson – Yes
Tristan Jarry – Yes

— Austin Bechtold (@AustinRBechtold) March 7, 2024

Rust’s contract also contains a no-movement clause that runs through the end of the 2024-25 season. And NHL sources are saying that Dubas has not approached Rust about waiving his NMC.

Did a conversation between the Red Wings and Penguins regarding the availability of Rust take place? Probably.

Is Rust going to be joining the Red Wings prior to the passage of Friday’s NHL trade deadline? Probably not.