Penguins A to Z: When healthy, Evgeni Malkin can still dominate
As the NHL prepares for a new season scheduled to start in mid-January, the Tribune-Review will offer Penguins A to Z, a player-by-player look at all 48 individuals under NHL contract with the organization, from mid-level prospect Niclas Almari to high-profile trade acquisition Jason Zucker.
Evgeni Malkin
Position: Center
Shoots: Left
Age: 34
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 195 pounds
2019-20 NHL statistics: 55 games, 74 points (25 goals, 49 assists)
Contract: Seventh year of an eight-year contract with a salary cap hit of $9.5 million. Unrestricted free agent in 2022.
Acquired: First-round draft pick (No. 2 overall), July 26, 2004
Last season: Facing the physical realities that playing NHL hockey in his mid-30s is far more daunting than in his 20s, Evgeni Malkin altered his offseason regimen during the summer of 2019 and arrived at training camp in the proverbial best shape of his life.
It took all of two games — less even — for things to get bent out of shape.
In the Penguins’ second game of the season, Malkin suffered an undisclosed injury and missed 11 games throughout October and November.
While that malady would set a tone for the triage center that was the Penguins’ roster throughout the course of the 2019-20 campaign, Malkin would establish the tone most nights for the Penguins throughout the season once he was healthy.
While the likes of Sidney Crosby, Jake Guentzel, Brian Dumoulin and far too many others missed weeks and months due to injuries later in the schedule, Malkin was the Penguins’ most reliable player from the moment he returned to the lineup for the remainder of the regular season.
Establishing chemistry with right winger Bryan Rust, who, not coincidentally, enjoyed a career season, Malkin finished the season as the team’s leading scorer.
Beyond the base offensive numbers, Malkin’s commitment extended to his discipline. Averaging 1.05 penalty minutes per game, Malkin saw a considerable drop from the 1.31 he averaged in 2018-19.
The resurgence Malkin enjoyed during the regular season did not extend to the postseason after the NHL’s nearly five-month pause because of the coronavirus pandemic. Despite a team-leading 21 shots, Malkin was limited to a single assist in four games as the Penguins were upset by the Canadiens in the preliminary round.
The future: Things should remain status quo for Rust in terms of deployment when the NHL’s 2020-21 season starts Jan. 13. Malkin figures to once again serve as the Penguins’ No. 2 center, and he will likely once again be flanked by Rust as well as Jason Zucker on the left wing. And with that cannon blast of a one-timer he boasts, he’ll be entrenched in the right circle on the top power-play unit.
Provided he stays healthy, he’ll likely be the team’s most physically dynamic player when he has the puck.
Long term, Malkin is nearing the end of his contract. It’s difficult to imagine him ever donning another NHL uniform than the Penguins’. He’s very content with this organization. But the allure of playing in his native Russia (and the tax-free payday that country offers) will always be available to him.
Until that day comes, Malkin will continue to be a dominant force in the NHL, albeit an aging one.
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
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