Penguins core hopes to stay together 'a little bit longer'

As usual, Evgeni Malkin was the funny one.

It’s been that way for 16 years.

Even when the mood is — at best — uncertain or — at worst — somber.

Such was the case Tuesday at the team’s facility in Cranberry.

With the Pittsburgh Penguins staging exit interviews two days after their season came to an end, Malkin described his two longtime teammates, Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang, in a flip fashion.

“It’s like my two brothers, one Canadian, one French Canadian,” the Russian forward quipped. “I love both.”

That fraternity could be broken up over the coming weeks. With Malkin and Letang — to say nothing of several other members of the roster — scheduled to become unrestricted free agents when the NHL opens the doors to the free-agent signing period July 13, this franchise could have a considerably different look when the team reconvenes by mid-September for training camp.

Seemingly everyone directly involved is hoping against that kind of outcome. But they acknowledge it is a possibility, if not a probability.

“We all feel the same way,” Crosby said. “We’ve been fortunate enough to play for a long time. Been through a lot. You look at all those experiences, there’s a lot of belief, a lot of trust in one another. With that, we’ve had success, too. There’s also a confidence level. That’s very rare. We all appreciate that. That being said, we understand that it’s not something that can happen forever. But hopefully, a little bit longer. Hopefully, we continue to play together. It’s unique, it’s special. We’ve done a pretty good job as a group and as a team. Hopefully, that plays into it too.”

For their part, Letang and Malkin didn’t offer much detail on their statuses.

Letang, considered the best defenseman in franchise history, declined comment, citing an agreement with general manager Ron Hextall not to discuss the matter publicly. Meanwhile, Malkin, one of four players in franchise history to win the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP, suggested his agent, J.P. Barry, is handling that business.

Malkin did dismiss a report out of Russia that he could return to his hometown of Magnitogorsk for next season and stated he wants to remain in the NHL.

It’s pretty clear which of the NHL’s 32 markets Malkin prefers.

“I love this city. I love these fans so much, but I know (if) team wants new blood, like young guys (on) the team and they say to me ‘You should move on,’ like I’m fine,” Malkin said. “I understand it’s a really tough year for me. But we will see. I’m glad I’ve been here 16 years. Great city, great fans. But we will see what’s going on.”

“Pittsburgh is my second hometown. I’m here 16 years. It’s amazing.”

Letang expressed similar sentiments, albeit with less hyperbole.

“The main goal is to stay here and play in Pittsburgh,” Letang said. “Don’t know what to expect. I certainly tried to help build something good here. And obviously want to keep it going.”

Regardless of where each segment of this trio winds up next season, it’s becoming more and more curious as to how much longer they’ll be playing regardless of the zip code.

Crosby (34), Malkin (35) and Letang (35) are all in their mid-30 and are clearly on the back nine.

Letang was the leader in the clubhouse in terms of an estimate.

“I feel really good,” Letang said. “My body has been great for the last few years. I see myself probably four, five years easily.”

While Malkin offered “three, four” more years, Crosby was a bit more vague and suggested he wanted to play at least three more years — which is what he has remaining on his contract — and “we’ll see after that.”

Another slightly less prominent but still important free agent the Penguins will have to look at intently is first-line winger Bryan Rust. The 30-year-old has registered three consecutive 20-goal seasons and just finished a four-year contract with a frugal cap hit of $3.5 million.

He didn’t mask his thoughts on what his value might be.

“I feel like I’ve gotten what I’ve earned and what I feel like I’m worth,” Rust said. “I feel like I’ve played to a higher level than what my contract has said the last few years.”

“I’m not looking to rob anyone. I just want what I deem as fair and a reasonable contract. I think and I hope that something is going to get worked on.”

Penguins management has plenty to work on between now and July 13.

“Everybody knows how I feel about my teammates,” Crosby said. “The fact that we had a pretty decent season … that speaks for itself. There’s a lot of things that have to be balanced, and I understand that. … Guys’ games speak for themselves. (Letang and Malkin), what they’ve done and what they continue to do speaks for itself, too. Those are decisions that management (has) to make.”