The revolving door of the injured reserve spins. As one veteran Pittsburgh Penguins forward hits the ice, another is forced to come off it. In a coordinated effort, Bryan Rust has been activated from injured reserved as Cody Glass is placed on the list.
Pittsburgh Penguins Bryan Rust Off the Injured-Reserved
Veteran Pens Winger Bryan Rust had officially been cleared to play prior to the game against division rivals, the Washington Capitals. He even added an assist in the 4-2 victory. The top-six forward was injured on October 26. It was the third period of a 4-3 loss to the Vancouver Canucks after a board battle with Nils Höglander. This injury came after he had already been unable to play the first two games of the season. Like the latest injury, the previous one had been to the lower body.
The player heading to the injured reserve is bottom-six centreman Cody Glass. He sustained an upper-body injury during Thursday’s game in Carolina and was unable to return to the ice. The severity of Glass’ injury is not known, nor is an estimated time until return. However, per injured reserve guidelines, he will not be returning for at least the Penguins’ next three games.
Relief for the Penguins’ Struggles
Rust has found himself as a core member of the Pens, performing exceptionally well on the top-six lineup. As such, his absence is not something easily overlooked. Due to his latest injury, he has already missed the past five games (not counting having missed the first two of the season over another lower-body injury). However, perhaps the rest from the past five games gave him the time he needed to repair, reset, and recharge for a strong return.
Last season, Rust tallied 28 goals and 28 assists for 56 points across 62 games. It was a significant improvement from the previous season, in which he had only missed one game and only managed to notch 46 points. Currently, he has only played eight games with four points on the season. No single player can carry the weight of an entire team, but hopefully, his return can ignite a spark in the struggling Penguins.
Main Photo Credit: Matt Blewett-USA TODAY Sports
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