Welcome back to another edition of the series “Maple Leafs’ Top-Six Forward Trade Targets“. In the last piece, I took a closer look at Chicago Blackhawks forward and former Toronto Maple Leafs top-six forward, Tyler Bertuzzi. However, the feedback on the article was that the Maple Leafs should look at someone who brings more talent and skill to the organization, as well as someone who hasn’t been on the team before. Which got me thinking, is there a better trade target for Toronto than Bryan Rust from the Pittsburgh Penguins?
After spending some time researching who the Maple Leafs could target that has been reportedly shopped, there was no better fit than Rust. He is exactly what this team is missing. General manager Brad Treliving and head coach Craig Berube have done an excellent job putting their fingerprints all over the roster. They are more physical, less finesse, and will make it hard on their opponents. But after the Mitch Marner departure this offseason, it left a huge hole on the top line alongside Matthew Knies and Auston Matthews. That hole can be filled by Rust. No, he isn’t going to have 70 assists like Marner had, but he can round out that line and make it more of a complete 200-foot line that this team has been lacking.
Related: Maple Leafs’ Top-Six Forward Trade Targets: Tyler Bertuzzi
As a trio, they will still score in bunches. They have one of the best players in the world centering it in Matthews, but they will have two wingers who will do anything to help their team win. They need that ‘dog mentality’ similar to what the Florida Panthers have if they want to win. So, the next player that Treliving should be bringing to this organization should be Rust and while it will be exceptionally hard to get done, he needs to find a way to do it.
Rust is the Missing Piece on the First Line
Rust is someone that once officially made available by the Penguins, will have at least a dozen teams calling about acquiring him. He is a proven winner and has shown that he can play on a team’s top line with other superstars like Sidney Crosby. He also does the little things that add up to make the line look better. He goes to the net, he scores garbage goals, but he also has the skill to beat a defender and deke out the goalie before putting it over their shoulder. Last season with the Penguins, he had 31 goals and 34 assists for 65 points in 71 games. Obviously, that isn’t as much as Marner had last season. In fact, it is 37 points less than Marner, but he has won two Stanley Cups and shown up in the playoffs when it matters. Which is something that the Maple Leafs have lacked in the past.
Rust, 33, is currently signed for three more seasons at $5.1 million, which is an affordable contract for the Maple Leafs to take on. The hardest part for Treliving is to try and figure out the asking price for Rust. It was mentioned by Elliotte Friedman on the 32 Thoughts The Podcast most recent episode that he could see a fit between Nick Robertson and the Penguins given that their GM Kyle Dubas was the one who drafted him in Toronto.
“I’m assuming things are going to heat up later in the summer at some point, in all these particular situations,” Friedman revealed about trade talks involving the Penguins. “I had some people ask me about the possibility of Nick Robertson and Pittsburgh. Obviously, Kyle Dubas knows him. They got the arbitration settled on Saturday at $1.825 million.”
If this is the case, Robertson could be a main part of this deal, as well as a prospect that can soon be NHL ready. There is a possibility that the Maple Leafs decide to part with Ben Danford, however, it may be more likely that they try and flip Henry Thrun alongside Robertson and potentially a 2028 1st round pick with a condition on it that downgrades it to a second. If that is the trade package that lands them a chance to bring in Rust for three seasons, Treliving shouldn’t hesitate and get it done. He could finally be the GM that helps this team find some much needed, much missed success in the playoffs.
