![]() He has to think with his earnings first, and staying in Pittsburgh second. Rust may never get a better financial opportunity than this one. ![]() At 29 years old, he is in perfect position to sign a lengthy contract with any team prepared to give him term – a six-or-seven year deal that takes him within sight of 40 years old. There isn’t likely to be a hometown discount in the next contract proposal for Rust in Pittsburgh. Hextall isn’t likely to bring them all back, but it’s hard to see them walking away from Rust, who is earning $3.5 million per year in the final year of his deal. Even with a modest increase in the $81.5-million salary cap ceiling, that doesn’t allow much of a raise for forwards Evan Rodrigues (a UFA this summer), Kasperi Kapanen (a restricted free agent at season’s end), and winger Danton Heinen (an RFA this summer). That leaves approximately (per ) $29.6 million for 13 other players. ![]() He’s scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season, and although much of Pittsburgh’s money and the media’s attention will go to the soon-to-be UFA Malkin and star D-man Kris Letang, Penguins GM Ron Hextall already has more than $51.8 million committed to only 10 players next season. Rust is having a career year at exactly the right time for him as a businessman. ![]() Russ produced 10 goals and 21 points in those 11 games, and he had seven multi-point games in the month only Colorado star winger Mikko Rantanen (eight multi-point games) had more. He was named the NHL’s Third Star of the Month for January after leading the league with a 1.91 points-per-game average in 11 games – 10 of which, the Penguins garnered at least one standings point, including an eight-game win streak from Jan. And man, has Rust ever made those shutdown lines and defensive pairs look hapless. ![]()
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