Penguins Slap Shots: Rust Penalty, Robertson Trade Talk; Prospects Outlook

Bryan Rust will miss a few games. The Pittsburgh Penguins are the ground zero for Jason Robertson trade talk. And in dovetail to the Robertson chatter, the Penguins’ prospects are under the spotlight.

The internal reaction to Rust’s three-game suspension was direct. Coach Dan Muse spoke on behalf of the organization against Rust’s triple ban.

“I don’t agree with it. The organization doesn’t agree with it. They have a tough job in the league in terms of looking at these things,” Muse said. “Bryan Rust is a guy who, you know what you’re going to get from him every night. He’s a guy who works his ass off every day. He’s a guy that’s heart and soul. One thing he’s not is a dirty player.”

However, there is no denying Rust clipped Brock Boeser with an elbow.

The thing that everyone struggles with is the number of similar incidents that are unpunished, and for which there is no supplementary discipline. If Rust’s hit is worth three games, there should be a LOT of three-game suspensions each season.

But there is not.

Leave it to the NHL to get things right, but only in the face of many more wrongs.

Plato may argue that the high volume of wrongs creates the level of justice, and thus Rust’s suspension was unwarranted. The Penguins have a point. If Rust’s elbow was a three-gamer, what about Jacob Trouba’s famous chicken wings? Tom Wilson’s myriad of antics?

The thing about Rust’s suspension is that it is proper and correct. An elbow. Head. Open ice and avoidable. The NHL really needs to focus on consistency. So, either Rust’s suspension is correct, and they’ve blown it many more times, or Rust’s suspension is incorrect because they violated the laissez-faire standard.

Your call.

Jason Robertson Trade Talk

Last week’s report put Robertson front and center in the Penguins’ public wishlist. It’s been a few years since the Penguins were at the forefront of trade talks for a star player. In the summer of 2023, it was Erik Karlsson. Before that … Rickard Rakell was the prime B-list acquisition in 2021?

Before that, Jim Rutherford chased down Kasperi Kapanen while the bubble playoffs were still ongoing.

Robertson is a cut above. At 6-foot-3, 208 pounds, he’s a big scoring winger who can slice through zone coverage to uncork a perfect wrister, he’s a notable forechecker, and simply one of the best in the league.

This writer was wrong (or right?) that Karlsson wasn’t a good trade get. At least, he wasn’t a good get for the first two years. This season, he is showing why he was a great get.

Should the Penguins get their hands on Robertson from the Dallas Stars, he is unlikely to have the disappointing impact that Karlsson did. Robertson would have a huge impact on the Penguins’ top-six for years to come.

So, why would this writer be dubious? A five-year plan.

In three years, the championship core will be gone, possibly including Sidney Crosby. Robertson would be out of place on a team that is finally rebuilding. Ben Kindel will be in year three or so, but Bill Zonnon, Will Horcoff, and any subsequent picks will be on their way to the big show, or just making the leap to the NHL.

Of course, to acquire Robertson, subsequent and perhaps past No. 1 picks would be in Dallas’s hands, too.

It would be a costly acquisition. Certainly, Dubas could deal away Robertson if the situation merits. Still, it would absolutely be a hard pause on rebuilding, even this rebuild-on-the-fly approach that Dubas perfected this season.

Like the Karlsson talk, count me out. But I was wrong then?

Prospect Outlook

The Penguins’ prospect pool fell short of claiming their NHL sweaters this season. At one point, the Penguins had utilized 10 rookies in the lineup, but only Ben Kindel and Arturs Silovs have stuck.

Ville Koivunen, Harrison Brunicke, Owen Pickering, Tristan Broz, and Rutger McGroarty were reassigned to other levels (Brunicke back to junior hockey, the rest to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins). Blood clots forced Filip Hallander out of the lineup until March or so.

Bill Zonnon and Will Horcoff are the other potential NHLers on the horizon.

Are any top of the lineup players?

The answer is not yet known. There are likely several middle-six forwards in the group and at least one defenseman.

Which of them would Dubas sacrifice in a Robertson trade?

The Penguins’ future is bright, but maybe not so bright yet as to have a timeline for the next era.

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Penguins Slap Shots: Rust Penalty, Robertson Trade Talk; Prospects Outlook

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