A broken arm limited Rust to just 57 outings last season, yet he still fashioned 15 goals and 13 assists -- both career highs. The winger’s forechecking expertise coupled with his knack for heading into the dirty areas in order to control the puck makes him a perfect player to line up with offensive stalwarts Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel. There’s plenty of untapped potential here, but the manner in which coach Mike Sullivan divvies up the power-play minutes formerly occupied by Nick Bonino could go a long way toward determining whether you have “Rusty Gold” on your hands. Rust averaged a mere 12 seconds with the extra man last year, so keep expectations in check.

Rust is a bottom-six winger who provides energy and a few timely goals. The 24-year-old collected only four goals and 11 points in 41 regular-season tilts, but was nonetheless named the team’s rookie of the year. He capped his campaign with a big Stanley Cup run, potting six goals and nine points in 23 games, including the Game 7 winner against Tampa Bay in the Eastern Conference finals. It might be unwise to count on Rust’s offense – he’s never averaged a point per-game at any level – but he figures to see regular shifts on Pittsburgh’s third line in 2016-17.