After re-signing Evgeni Malkin, Penguins believe they can still 'do special things'

If you were surprised by the new contract Evgeni Malkin signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins late Tuesday night — it was announced at 11 p.m. to be precise — you weren’t alone.

Penguins general manager Ron Hextall was as well, to a certain extent.

After reports Monday proclaimed Malkin was ready to become an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his hall of fame-caliber career, it seemed questionable — at best — that Malkin would return to the only NHL franchise for which he has suited up.

A mere 24 hours and change later, Malkin’s new contract — a four-year deal with a salary cap hit of $6.1 million — was announced at the 11th hour, literally.

What changed?

“I don’t really know, to be honest,” Hextall said. “That’s more of a question (for Malkin). We had very amicable negotiations all along, and we found a middle ground we were both happy with to get (Malkin) under contract.

“He helped us in terms of the cap number, which we needed to keep low. We talked about that right from the start, and we stretched it out to help him out. It was one of those deals that worked both ways, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to have him back under contract and finish his career as a Penguin.”

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Other contract extensions signed earlier in the offseason with forwards Bryan Rust (six years) and Kris Letang (six years) as well as the incumbent contract of franchise center Sidney Crosby (three years remaining) could allow them to complete their professional existences in Pittsburgh as well.

But how prudent is it to maintain the status quo for a franchise that has not won a playoff series for four seasons?

“We always say winning the first round is typically the hardest,” Hextall said. “If you look at the last two years, I think it gives us a faith that this group still has hockey left in them. It still has a chance to do some impressive things. That was part of the decision. I’ve said this a few times … if you look at the (first-round series against the New York Islanders in 2021) and you look at the (first-round series against the New York Rangers) this year, we very well could have won either of those series. Personally, I think we should have won.”

“That gives us the belief that we can still be very competitive in this league and do special things.”

It’s fair to wonder if the Penguins should have extended contracts to players in their 30s — mid-30s specifically in the cases of Letang (35) and Malkin (36 on July 31) — but keeping the team competitive in the immediate sense was the top objective of Hextall and company entering this offseason.

Malkin, Rust ($5.125 million), Letang ($6.1 million) and forward Rickard Rakell ($5 million) were signed to deals that have cap hits perceived to be below what they might have received on the open market.

“Our No. 1 objective was to keep our cap number down, those guys who we can surround them with other pieces,” Hextall said. “We sacrificed a little bit. They sacrificed a little bit, and we came to an agreement. They both, in the end, wanted to be Pittsburgh Penguins, and we couldn’t be more thrilled.

“When you look at (Crosby, Malkin and Letang) — top guys of all time that have played together for 16 years and, hopefully, can stretch it now to (20) years — that’s pretty special. Just having three guys to play together for that long and having three guys of that magnitude, that’s pretty special. I feel pretty fortunate to just catch the tail-end of their careers and see how great they are as players and teammates. It’s pretty cool.”

The Penguins’ offseason is far from complete. They have a surplus of defensemen they have to sort out as well as some other holes among the bottom reaches of their forward ranks to fill out.

But they have fortified their faith that the key components of a roster capable of winning another Stanley Cup title are still in place.

“These guys are special players,” Hextall said. “These are generational players. These aren’t ‘really good hockey players.’ These are generational players. We still feel like we’re in the mix of the top teams in the league.”