The Pittsburgh Penguins have gotten off to an inconsistent start to the 2026-27 NHL season after returning to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2022 last spring.
Pittsburgh's sluggish play has once again raised questions about the futures of longtime franchise cornerstones Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang.
But they're not the only aging players generating trade speculation. Forwards Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell, along with defenseman Erik Karlsson, have all been mentioned in trade rumors over the past several months.
Rust had been off to a solid start this season, recording three goals and two assists through his first seven games. However, the injury bug struck the Penguins once again when Rust suffered a lower-body injury that is expected to keep him out for at least six weeks.
So, is it time for Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas to start thinking about the future of the franchise? At this point, Pittsburgh may already be running out of reasons to wait much longer.
The Penguins need to start thinking about the future
The Penguins and their veteran core of Crosby, Letang, Malkin, and Rust aren't getting any younger, and it won't be long before each of them is no longer playing in the NHL. Fans of the Penguins can certainly count themselves as lucky that they all got to watch their lengthy careers spent in Pittsburgh, but as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end eventually.
Pittsburgh enjoyed a tremendous run of success, including multiple Stanley Cup wins with those players on board, and even managed another brief playoff appearance last spring. But considering how the team has started this season, combined with Rust's expected month-long absence, the Penguins have another reason to get a head start on the inevitable.
Pittsburgh would be better served trying to get what it can for Rust from a stronger team looking to add a proven veteran scorer with Cup-winning experience. The Penguins could potentially get prospects, draft picks, or some combination of both in return for Rust, who has one more season left on his current contract with a reasonable $5.125 million salary-cap hit, and he'll be a UFA in 2028.
Bryan Rust can try and win a Stanley Cup elsewhere
Rust has already won the Stanley Cup twice with the Penguins in 2016 and 2017, but he isn't likely to win another championship with Pittsburgh's aging roster. For his own title aspirations, he'd be better suited as a secondary scoring option on a legitimate contender with a deeper supporting cast around him.
Article Continues BelowIt won't be long before the Penguins are forced into a full-scale rebuilding process following the inevitable departures of players such as Letang and Malkin, along with Karlsson and veteran forward Rickard Rakell.
Rust was heavily involved in trade rumors last season, along with Karlsson and Rakell, but all three ultimately remained in Pittsburgh. There's no guarantee the Penguins can squeeze another playoff run out of this group, and at best, they appear headed for another first-round exit at the hands of a stronger opponent.
The NHL Trade Deadline this season is March 1. So far in his career, which has been spent exclusively with the Penguins, Rust has tallied 507 points in regular-season play, and another 37 points in 85 career postseason contests.
But both parties would be best served moving on from one another. Rust, who is 34, will have a better chance of trying to win at least one more title elsewhere, while the Penguins can get a head start on their inevitable rebuild.