Rust has been skating on his own, but finally got back into practice on Wednesday. With Sidney Crosby likely out of the season opener with a concussion, the Penguins could use Rust back in the lineup, but that seems unlikely at this point. Consider him day-to-day.
Jarry was set to start the season as Marc-Andre Fleury’s backup after Matt Murray suffered a broken hand in the World Cup of Hockey, but after they claimed Mike Condon this afternoon, Jarry heads back to the AHL to start the year. The 21-year-old was 17-13-3 with a 2.69 GAA and .905 SV% in 33 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton last year.
It has been a while since we’ve seen Crosby and concussion in the same sentence, but on Friday, Crosby’s old demons returned as he suffered a concussion in practice. It is normal to not have a definitive timetable when someone has a concussion, but it’s even more difficult when someone has had multiple concussions before. The Penguins will take every precaution with their captain, which obviously clouds his availability for the season opener.
Rust, 24, had a nice playoff run last year picking up nine points (6G / 3A) in 23 games on Evgeni Malkin’s wing. With Rust unlikely available for the start of the season, that leaves the door open for Scott Wilson to start the year with Malkin.
Hayes, 24, had an excellent rookie season and was among the breakout candidates heading into 2015-16, but he struggled for the majority of the year. He scored 14 goals with 22 assists, falling short of his 17-goal, 28-assist rookie campaign. Heading into 2016-17, Hayes remains an intriguing sleeper option given his great size and skill, but he will need to find a way to break into the Rangers’ top-6 if he’s going to have huge impact.
Nieto, 23, is a former second-round pick, who already has 205 career NHL games under his belt. He was a great scorer during his time with the U.S. development team and at Boston University, but hasn’t been given the high-end minutes in San Jose that he needs to produce fantasy relevant numbers. Nieto has just 68 career points (28G / 40A).
Rakell missed the final seven games of the regular season after having his appendix removed. The third-year centre set career-highs in goals (20), assists (23), points (43), shots (169) and game-winners (7). He is expected to play between Jamie McGinn and Corey Perry tonight.
Malkin took part in the Penguins’ practice on Friday and it looks like he could return for Game 2. He centred a line with Conor Sheary and Bryan Rust on the wings, but due to the early start on Saturday, there will be no morning skate. Monitor his status a few hours before puck-drop.
Malkin has been out since March 11th and remains day-to-day. He reportedly skated prior to the Penguins practice, but did not take part in the practice session. All signs are pointing towards him missing the start of the series, but could be back later in the series or to start the second round.
