PITTSBURGH — It probably speaks volumes for how far Bryan Rust’s development has come when a mere 20-goal season — as in 20 on the dot — is seen as mundane for a player who entered the NHL as a bottom-six bang-and-crash winger.

But that was the case for Rust in regard to his mundane 2022-23 campaign when he reached 20 goals but blighted with bouts of inconsistency.

With the benefit of a long 2023 offseason, Rust worked at his game and managed to set a career-high with 28 goals, even despite missing 20 games due to injury.

Fittingly enough, Rust scored the Penguins’ first goal of the 2023-24 campaign during the season opener, a 4-2 home loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Oct. 10.

Primarily stationed in his usual role on the top line next to franchise center Sidney Crosby, Rust rushed out to a quick start to the season, posting 16 points (nine goals, seven assists) in his first 17 games.

In what would become an unwelcome but common theme to Rust’s season, an undisclosed injury sidelined him for three games in late November. Following a quick convalescence, Rust returned for five games but another undisclosed ailment kept him out for most of December as he missed the final 10 games of the 2023 calendar year.

Back on the ice by Dec. 2, Rust maintained his production of nearly a point per game by collecting 16 points (eight goals, eight assists) in his next 20 games before another malady hobbled him for seven games in late February and early March.

Back for good by March 10, Rust was a driving force in the Penguins’ valiant but futile late season push toward a playoff spot in the final weeks of the regular season. Skating in the team’s final 20 games, Rust was the Penguins’ second-leading scorer over that span — trailing only Crosby — with 20 points (10 goals, 10 assists).

The future: Nothing figures to really change for Rust heading into his 11th season. He will remain arc welded to Crosby’s right wing given the uncanny chemistry the two have developed over several seasons.

As one of the team’s fastest and most tenacious skaters, Rust does a lot of the “dirty work” as the lead forechecker on that line, allowing Crosby to collect the turnovers Rust creates. In addition to that, Rust’s offensive touch has improved as he has reached the 20-goal barrier for five consecutive seasons (including a few shortened by the pandemic).

And as a regular participant on the power play and penalty kill, he has become one of the most useful players on the roster. A legitimate concern, however, is his durability, especially given the 20 games he missed last season.

Rust does not play a style that is all that forgiving on his body and as he approaches his mid-30s, it is curious how he will continue to endure such a demanding workload.

But even with increased injuries, Rust remains as reliable as ever.

Penguins re-sign popular goalie Alex Nedeljkovic to 2-year contract

PITTSBURGH — Alex Nedeljkovic got his wish, parlaying a strong finish into a new extension that provides him stability — and raises questions about Pittsburgh’s future in goal.

The Penguins on Thursday re-signed the goalie to a two-year contract with an average annual value of $2.5 million. It is a nice raise over the $1.5 million that he earned last season but not prohibitive as the team sorts out the rest of the puzzle in goal. Last season, it would have ranked 37th among NHL goalies.

Nedeljkovic got his NHL career back on track here in 2023-24, his first season with the Penguins, and in March, he expressed a desire to stay in Pittsburgh.

“I didn’t want to go anywhere,” he said. “[My wife and I] were set in stone in staying here. We like it here. We’re having a great year getting to know people and getting to know places. I also have a lot of belief in the guys in this room.”

He made a compelling case to the team with what he did in the following weeks. Nedeljkovic took over the net from Tristan Jarry and was one of the catalysts as the Penguins surged back into playoff position, ultimately finishing on the outside for a second straight year. He started the last 13 games, going 8-1-3.

Pittsburgh embraced him, giving him roaring applause at PPG Paints Arena. After the season, the Ohio native reiterated that he wanted to remain here. But president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas said he might not fit into his plans.

Jarry has four years left on the contract that Dubas gave him last summer, and top goalie prospect Joel Blomqvist is “pushing” for an NHL job, Dubas said at the time.

However, Dubas had high praise for what Nedeljkovic had brought to the team.

“He’s a great person. He’s got a great work ethic, great motor. I was very happy for him because he’s competed his butt off throughout the year,” Dubas said then. “It was nice to see him especially get rewarded because he had a couple of tough years before coming in here. He really won the respect of the room.”

And in the end, Nedeljkovic won that extension and the stability that comes with it, too. He signed his new deal 11 days before the start of NHL free agency.

The 28-year-old, who previously played for Carolina then Detroit, played in 38 games for the Penguins last season and went 18-7-7 with a 2.97 goals-against average, .902 save percentage and one shutout. Down the stretch, he became just the 11th goalie in team history to record a point streak of 10-plus games.

It is unclear how his return impacts Jarry, whose salary cap hit is $5.375 million.

After the season, Dubas also publicly stated his belief in Jarry, saying he was excited to “see how he responds” after a disappointing season. Jarry posted the worst numbers of his career then was the backup for the final three weeks. With their season on the line, it was Nedeljkovic whom Mike Sullivan trusted in net.

Given his unreliability over the last two years, Jarry’s value will surely be diminished if Pittsburgh tries to trade him in the coming days. Two goalie-needy teams, Los Angeles and New Jersey, made moves on Wednesday to add puck stoppers.

So it’s certainly possible, perhaps even likely, the Penguins run it back in goal next season with Jarry and Nedeljkovic, allowing Blomqvist to develop at his own pace. In that scenario, we could see an increased workload for Nedeljkovic.

The Penguins have much to sort out with their roster as the NHL draft and free agency near. But now at least we know that Nedeljkovic is sticking around.