Penguins' Bryan Rust Leaves Game With Injury
The Pittsburgh Penguins went down a man on Monday night against the Utah Mammoth, as veteran forward Bryan Rust had to leave the game with a lower-body injury.
Bryan Rust (lower-body) will not return to tonight’s game.
— Penguins PR (@PenguinsPR) October 20, 2026
The Penguins lost the game 5-4 to the Mammoth, and Rust didn't come up for the third period during this contest. Nobody has been able to pinpoint exactly where things went wrong for Rust on Monday, but some feel it happened in the second period. With the potential of a non-contact injury, the stakes are certainly a little higher. Add in the fact Kyle Dubas has been discussing Rust in trade talks, and this certainly complicates plans in Pittsburgh.
Rust was having an excellent game, posting two assists in two periods before departing. He's up to three goals and five points in seven games this season, after missing three games earlier in the year due to a upper-body injury.
Rust had been playing on Sidney Crosby's right wing, and if he's out for an extended period of time, look for Dan Muse to move Nick Robertson up to play his off wing. As for Rust, he's coming off a 29-goal season where he posted 65 points in 72 games.
The veteran winger is signed through next season, doesn't hold any trade protection, and has been shopped around by Dubas these last two weeks. A serious injury is not something this team on the ice, or off the ice, want to deal with. Let's hope it's nothing too bad, and Rust can return in a game or two.