A new potential New Jersey Devils trade target has emerged in the form of a Pittsburgh Penguins winger who's been one of the most dependable forwards in the Metropolitan Division over the last decade.
Multiple recent reports have indicated that the Penguins will be looking to trade forward Bryan Rust, an aging 33-year-old with three years remaining on his contract at a $5.125 million cap hit. Rust does not have any trade protection in his contract.
Rust, a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Penguins, is coming off a career year that saw him pot a personal-best 31 goals and 65 points. At 5-foot-11, he does not quite have the size many fans, and perhaps the Devils themselves, are looking for, but Rust has carved out a prolific role for himself playing the Robin to Sidney Crosby's Batman over the years.
For the Devils, who have so far struck out with Ondrej Palat and Dawson Mercer, should very much like to add Rust to their ranks and finally get some help for Jack Hughes.
The Penguins' former third-round pick, who Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald was on hand to help draft in 2010, has scored at least 20 goals in each of the last six seasons and has shown no signs of slowing down, though Rust's explosion this past season is a classic buyer-beware warning.
Bryan Rust would make the perfect New Jersey Devils addition
The Penguins are trying to get younger while remaining somewhat competitive in the twilight years of Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang, which may make a player like Mercer attractive to them in a potential Rust trade.
Unless the Devils are willing to part ways with prospects like Lenni Hameenaho or Seamus Casey, they don't have much else to offer in terms of players. New Jersey does, however, own two second-round picks in the 2025 NHL Draft, which the Penguins could try to then package for a different player of their choosing.
Regardless, Rust would be worth the cost of acquisition in almost any case, accounting for his skill, playoff experience, and more than reasonable contract. One way to look at is, Rust's $5.125 million cap hit is $875k less than Palat's $6 million cap hit. That small amount alone is almost entirely enough to fit Arseniy Gritsyuk's $925k cap hit on the roster.
Depending on your perspective, that's two players for the price of one, and two players with higher ceilings at that. The division rival tax could be real, but as long as Rust is truly available via trade, he should be close to the top of the list of offseason Devils trade targets.