They aren't the highest-scoring points line in the NHL. That's the Calgary line of Johnny Gaudreau, Elias Lindholm and Matthew Tkachuk with 192 points going into Monday night's game. They aren't the best goal-scoring line. That's Toronto's Michael Bunting, Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner with 79 goals. But they are the Penguins' best line since Mario Lemieux played with a variety of wondrous talents with names such as Stevens and Tocchet and Francis and Jagr. That's plenty good enough.
The Crosby line.
Jake Guentzel. Sidney Crosby. Bryan Rust.
I didn't think I'd be ranking any Crosby line better than the one he shared with Chris Kunitz and Pascal Dupuis. At one time, they were regarded as the best line in hockey. Kunitz helped the Crosby-led Penguins win three Stanley Cups. Dupuis was a big part of the Cup-winning team in 2009.
The Kunitz-Crosby-Dupuis line was magical. Crosby had, arguably, his best two years with that line, scoring 51 goals and 109 points in 2009-10 and 32 goals and 66 points in just 41 games before getting hurt in 2010-11. Kunitz was a physical player who always went hard to the net. He was terrific at winning puck battles and getting the puck to Crosby. He is one of the franchise's most underappreciated stars. Dupuis had great speed and worked hard to find soft spots in an opponent's defense. He always was ready for a Crosby pass and was good enough offensively to have a 25-goal season and 17-game points streak in 2011-12 despite getting little power-play time. Crosby loved playing with him and was saddened when Dupuis' career ended in December 2015 because of health problems related to blood clots.
"We had a special relationship, on and off the ice," Dupuis said Monday from Quebec where he is part owner of the Shawinigan Cataractes in the Quebec Major Junior League. "We still have a special relationship. The three of us do a lot of group chats ...
"Here's how special it was to play with Sid. He would tell Kunnie and me not to change our game for him, that he would change his game for us. He was so smart. He knew he could adjust to us. He could read us. We couldn't read him.
"He always made feel like I belonged on his line even if there were more talented players on that team."
Crosby has that same relationship with Guentzel and Rust.
I rank that line just ahead of Crosby's line with Kunitz and Dupuis.
Guentzel, Crosby and Rust have started 128 regular-season games as a line since first playing together early in the 2017 season, according to Penguins historian Bob Grove. The three have put up 63 goals and 154 points this season heading into the Tuesday night's game against the Florida Panthers despite Rust missing 22 games and Crosby 12 because of injury or illness.
Crosby has gotten better and better since returning full-time to the lineup on Nov. 14 after off-season wrist surgery and COVID-19. He has hardly slowed down after getting his 500th career goal against the Philadelphia Flyers on Feb. 15. He has goals in three consecutive games and points in six in a row and 13 of the past 14. At 34, he still is playing spectacular hockey.
"Sid is being Sid," Dupuis said.
Guentzel is the best finisher Crosby has had. He is hardly a physical presence the way Kunitz was, but he has, in Mike Sullivan's words, "courage" to go to the goal-scoring areas. He had 40 goals in 2018-19 and 20 and 23 in the next two pandemic-impacted seasons. With 27 goals this season, he is on pace to get close to 40 again.
"I would definitely agree he's Sid's best finisher," Dupuis said. "Kunnie and I could finish, but we would need four or five whacks at it. Jake only needs one."
To say that Crosby has a nice chemistry with Guentzel would be an understatement. Crosby has 57 even-strength assists on Guentzel goals, more than he's had with any other player, according to Grove. Guentzel has assisted on 41 of Crosby's regular-season goals and soon will pass Kunitz (45) and Evgeni Malkin (44) for the most assists among the team's forwards who have played with Crosby.
"Jake just keeps getting it done over and over and over again," Dupuis said.
Rust has become a complete player, solid defensively and is not afraid to block a shot as his injury history shows. Although he's in a bit of a goal-scoring slump with no goals in the past five games and just one in the past eight, he is on pace for 26 goals. He scored 22 and 27 in the previous two pandemic-shortened seasons.
"He brings it every night," Dupuis said. "His speed, his tenacity, his forecheck ... He has an unbelievable release."
Crosby never would pick between Kunitz and Dupuis and Guentzel and Rust. That would be like picking your favorite kid. But this much is safe to say: Crosby would love to share a line with Guentzel and Rust for many games to come.
Guentzel isn't going anywhere. He is signed for a team-friendly $6 million per season through 2023-24. But Rust, who is an incredible bargain at $3.5 million this season, will be a free agent after the season. Doing a new deal with him won't be easy because Malkin and Kris Letang also are going to be free agents.
How can anyone blame Rust, who will be 30 on May 11, if he goes for every penny he can get on the open market? But isn't it nice to think he might take a little less to stay with Crosby and Guentzel?
"That's what I did," Dupuis said of his four-year, $15 million deal with the Penguins after the 2012-13 season.
"I valued my spot on that line more than I did making a few more dollars elsewhere. It made perfect sense for me to stay in Pittsburgh."
We'll see what happens with Rust after the season.
My advice?
Enjoy Guentzel, Crosby and Rust while you can.
You are watching something really special.
