Maple Leafs Linked to Penguins’ Veteran Forward in New Report
Photo credit: Hockey Patrol
The Toronto Maple Leafs need to add some much needed scoring punch to their top-six, and a new article from Bleacher Report has linked Pittsburgh’s Bryan Rust as a prime target.There’s a lot of people who are hoping that the Toronto Maple Leafs make a big splash, and while there are certainly rumblings of a potential move, it feels like a lot of smoke, but not so much fire.
However, there’s still lots of time left, and with several big names still on the market, Brad Treliving can certainly bring in that final piece of the puzzle who is going to push them over the top.
Toronto could afford to get a little Rusty
After letting Mitch Marner go in free agency, the Toronto Maple Leafs have been trying to take a quantity-over-quality approach to replacing him in an effort to balance out their lineup.
Whether that will pay off remains to be seen, but even if we assume they made the right depth additions, they still need another top-six winger.
Rust would fit that criteria, and he’d also bring some winning credibility to a locker room that has lacked it.
The article mentions that Rust’s clutch factor is the main driving force in why Toronto should acquire him:
The Maple Leafs keep losing in the playoffs because they never score enough goals or come through in big moments.
Rust has a knack for being the type of player who has consistently come through in big games.
Is he better than Marner? No, but he has the type of big-game DNA the Maple Leafs are lacking.
Is Bryan Rust worth bringing aboard?
Well, considering his resume; absolutely. He’s a two-time Cup winner with the Penguins, he’s played next to Sidney Crosby for years, and if anyone can seamlessly slide into Mitch Marner’s old spot; it’s Rust.Sure he isn’t the playmaker that Marner was, but Auston Matthews is more than capable, and we’ve seen how much Rust can produce alongside a star.Rust, 33, had a very solid 65 points in 71 games for Pittsburgh (31 goals, 34 assists) which is his sixth straight 20+ goal season.
He also has 35 points in 79 playoff games, and he’s proven that while he might not blow you away on the scoresheet, when he does, it matters.
No trade protection is a benefit for Toronto, although they would need to find a way to pay his $5.125-million salary, either by trading one or two of their lingering deals or hoping for a lot of salary retention (which raises the price).
We know that Kyle Dubas is willing to do business, and is more than courteous to Brad Treliving.
If the team can’t land Nazem Kadri, then Bryan Rust is a fantastic substitute.
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