Bryan Rust will not return to the Penguins' game against the Sabres this afternoon, and his spot on the bench was empty before the team said a word.
Dan Kingerski noticed first that the winger wasn't on the Penguins bench. A minute later, the team confirmed he wouldn't be back.
The Penguins didn't give a reason. That's exactly why the worry starts now.
Rust put up 65 points in 72 games last season.
It was the same total he posted the year before, when he scored a career-high 31 goals.
He carries a $5,125,000 cap hit through 2027-28.
So how worried should Pittsburgh be?
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Penguins face major Bryan Rust scare days before season opener
That depends entirely on what the team says next, and for now it isn't saying much.
The 34-year-old has spent his entire NHL career in Pittsburgh, piling up 502 points in 710 games.
He has also scored at least 20 goals in seven straight seasons.
The Penguins drafted him 80th overall in 2010, and he spent four seasons at Notre Dame before turning pro.
His playoff resume includes 22 goals in 85 games.
Last spring, he chipped in two points across six playoff games.
He finished even last season after going minus-21 the year before, a big swing in the right direction.
Losing him for any stretch would hurt more than the Penguins want to admit. Back-to-back seasons like his don't grow on trees.
A veteran leaving a preseason game early is like a laptop shutting down in the middle of an update. It might be nothing, but everybody holds their breath until it restarts.
The Penguins came into the day 1-2-0 this preseason after a 4-0 loss in Columbus on Thursday.
They open the regular season Wednesday in Philadelphia, then host Montreal on October 3.
Those Canadiens were 3-0-0 this preseason heading into their game in Ottawa tonight.
Dan Muse and Kyle Dubas will get the answer before anyone else does. Until then, every Penguins fan is staring at an empty spot on that bench.
Should the Penguins sit Bryan Rust for the opener in Philadelphia to be safe?
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