The New York Rangers were expected to be a team to watch this offseason, and that has already been the case.
The Rangers already traded Chris Kreider to the Anaheim Ducks, and other star players could be traded. However, New York will look to add to their roster. NHL insider Vincent Z. Mercogliano of Lohud links the Rangers to trading for star winger Bryan Rust of division rival Pittsburgh Penguins.
“Rust doesn’t carry the star power of Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang or Evgeni Malkin, but he was a key cog for the Penguins who Sullivan came to depend on,” Mercogliano wrote… “An even bigger draw would be his familiarity with New York’s new system. Bringing in a veteran who can fill the RW hole that’s burned the Rangers for years and help teach the nuances of Sullivan’s layered forechecking scheme would be a huge get.
“Trading a two-time Cup-winning teammate might not sit well with Crosby and company. But, GM Kyle Dubas has made it clear the Pens are entering a rebuild stage,” Mercogliano added “And Rust, who has three years remaining on his deal for an AAV of $5.125 million, no longer holds any trade protection, is one of the most valuable chips he can use to kickstart that process.”
Rust is in the fourth year of his six-year, $30.75 million contract with the Penguins. Meaning the Rangers would have him for three seasons. He helped Pittsburgh win the Stanley Cup in 2016 and 2017.
Rust would be a good second-line forward for the Rangers and add some more offense to the lineup. Last season, he recorded 31 goals and 34 assists for 65 points in 71 games.
New Rangers Coach Loved Rust
A key reason why New York could explore trading for Rust is due to the fact that the Rangers hired Mike Sullivan as their head coach.
Sullivan had spent the last 10 seasons as the Penguins’ coach. He coached Rust his entire time with the team and even coached him in the minors. After the season ended, Sullivan heaped a ton of praise on Rust.
“I don’t know that I’ve been around a player or coached a player whose offensive game has evolved and developed like his,” Sullivan said about Rust. “He deserves so much credit for his passion for the game, his work ethic, to put the time in every day to develop his overall game. It’s remarkable what he’s done with his career.
“You look at his game right now, the last handful of years he’s on a 30-plus pace,” Sullivan added. “This year, he achieves it. He stayed healthy for us more so this year than he has in the past. He plays the game extremely hard. And that’s one of the reasons why it’s hard for him to play 80 games. Because he puts himself in harm’s way a lot and that’s what we admire about him, but he’s just a terrific hockey player.”
It’s clear that Sullivan was a big fan of Rust, and perhaps he urges the Rangers to trade for him.
Rangers Trade Kreider
New York began its offseason overhaul by trading Kreider and a 2025 fourth-round pick to the Ducks. In return, the Rangers acquired forward prospect Carey Terrance and a third-round pick.
The trade helps add cap space to New York and shakes up the core after a disappointing season.
“We want to thank Chris Kreider for all of his contributions to the Rangers organization over his stellar career,” Rangers GM Chris Drury said. “Chris has been an integral part of some of the most iconic moments in Rangers history. Including setting multiple franchise records and helping the team advance to the 2014 Stanley Cup Final.”
After the trade, the Rangers have nearly $15 million in cap space.
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