Bryan Rust suspended multiple games for illegal hit

The Pittsburgh Penguins have been much more successful in 2025/26 than anyone could have expected, and for the most part, that success has come on the back of their veterans.

Players like Bryan Rust are once again stepping up and delivering in a big way around the star duo of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, but in their latest game, Rust went out of his way to lay a very dirty hit on Vancouver's Brock Boeser.

Not only was the hit very dirty and dangerous, but it was also unnecessary, as he could have hit Boeser without lifting his elbow and making intentional, forceful contact to the back of the head.

Given all of those factors, it should be no surprise that on Tuesday, the NHL's Department of Player Safety has come down hard on the veteran, handing him a three-game suspension for the hit.

We've seen other similar hits this year get a pass from the DoPS, but given the outrage surrounding this hit from Rust, it shouldn't be a surprise that they've come down hard on the Penguins veteran.

Coming into their next game, the Penguins have won five of their last six and are once again in the race for a Stanley Cup Playoffs spot in the Eastern Conference, but with Rust to miss several games, we will now see how they can do without one of their key piece as they look to stay in the race heading into the Olympic break.

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