PHILADELPHIA (93.7 The Fan) – There are officially seven free agents, of those that played major minutes for the Pens this season, but one who’s future immediately jumps out.
What will happen with Evgeni Malkin?
The future Hall of Fame forward has said in the few times he’s talked to reporters in the last couple of months that he wants to stay.
Upon securing his 1400th point on April 4th, a game where the 39-year-old showed he still had game with a hat trick, Malkin but it this way.
“Every goal helps me to contract,” Malkin said after that game.
“If I say I deserve it and he (Dubas) says no, what are we talking about.” Malkin said plainly. “We’ll see what is going on in the summer. I enjoyed (Saturday), hat trick, gives me confidence.”
Whether that confidence in Malkin is reciprocated is a question.
The Pens general manager has questions about keeping this going forward. The last time Kyle Dubas had an on the record news conference with Pittsburgh reporters was trade deadline day in early March. He then lumped Malkin into talk about keeping the Big 3 (Malkin, Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang) together.
“It’s not as though you are talking about any normal player situation and team,” Dubas said. “I think it is the most unique situation in sports and how much success they’ve had here in Pittsburgh.”
“Though you want to be very cut-and-dried about it and I think that’s my job to an extent. You also have to treat them with a different level of respect and the way you communicate with them just because the team probably owes that to them and what they’ve contributed to the Penguins and to the community.”
“In the end, we have to do what is best for the Pittsburgh Penguins. With players that get to that point in age, it’s not always as simple. You may (feel) one way as a player and as you go through the year you may feel differently.”
Dubas said they have had talks with his agent, JP Berry, and with Malkin. The Pens GM added it does him, the team, nor Malkin any good by disclosing those discussions.
“We will continue to stay within those conversations with them and continue to do what is best for the team,” Dubas said.
There are games, like the night of the hat trick, where you think back to a time where Malkin was one of the best in the game. He, and Letang, each had a pair of goals in the playoffs. Malkin had 19 goals and 42 assists in 56 games this year, only the third time in the last six seasons where he averaged over a point a game and first since 2022-23 where he had 83 points in 82 games.
Malkin was willing to move over to the wing under a first-year head coach Dan Muse which shows his desire to do what he has to at this point of his career. It provides the team more flexibility.
It’s not as if there are young forwards who are knocking on the door. Ben Kindel and Egor Chinahkov, who struggled in the postseason, played well in the regular season. Chinahkov was a spark after coming over from Columbus and at 18-years-old for most of the season, Kindel scored 17 goals in 77 games.
Beyond those two, Ville Koivunen had only two goals in 39 games, Rutger McGroarty had three in 24 games, Filip Hallander (missed time due to injury) had one goal in 13 games. Avery Hayes had five goals in 16 games and likely gave himself a shot as a bottom six player next year, but not likely a top-two line forward.
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Muse praised Malkin’s work on a daily basis and said he’s still hard to handle on the power play. Only twice did Malkin go more than a game without a point. He went two games in early March and three in late November.
“It’s been fun to watch him the whole season,” said Pens forward Rickard Rakell. “He’s been really good this whole time for us. You can tell when he is feeling it and he wants the puck and he wants to do something every time he touches it. It’s a good thing for us.”
Is it good for another year?
39-year-old Pens 3-time champ becomes a free agent
39-year-old Pens 3-time champ becomes a free agent
