Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin 'I believe in myself. I’m still a good player'

Evgeni Malkin made a correction on the first day of training camp Thursday in Cranberry.

When the superstar center was asked about being part of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ veteran core, Malkin quickly offered a retort before the query was completed.

“We’re not veterans,” Malkin quipped. “We’re still young.”

Considering the 36-year-old Malkin is entering his 17th NHL season, it’s obvious that his comment was in jest.

But most of Malkin’s comments Thursday were fairly serious in terms of what his intentions are for the upcoming season.

“I believe in myself,” Malkin said. “I’m still a good player. I believe in myself. I believe in my teammates. I’m here to win. I do everything my best. I’ll be ready the first game.”

It was far from guaranteed that Malkin would be wearing a Penguins jersey in the first game of the 2022-23 campaign.

A pending unrestricted free agent, Malkin was set to go to market when the NHL’s free-agency signing period opened July 13.

But in the late hours of the night before — roughly 10 p.m. — Malkin re-signed, agreeing to a four-year contract that carries a salary cap hit of $6.1 million.

“I believe (I would) sign here,” said Malkin, who spoke with media Thursday for the first time since May. “I believe I stay here forever. … It’s (wasn’t) going to be easy, but we understand each other. We talked every day. My agent, he did a nice job.

“We (were) close to signing. Just small details. … We talked every day. Just small details before signing. We understand each other. We understand I want to stay here. Team wants me to stay here. It’s my second hometown, for sure. I don’t want to move any (other) team, city. I’m glad to stay here. It’s an amazing place. Four more years.”

The uncertainty of Malkin’s future weighed on him. He credited the other key pieces of the allegedly ephebic core for boosting his spirits as he approached the uncharted waters of being a potential free agent.

“We know Sid. He’s an amazing guy, amazing player,” Malkin said. “We’re good friends. We know each other. He’s one of the best guys here. He tried to (give) support to me almost every day. Sid (said), ‘Stay positive, stay patient.’ I’m glad that we play together. (Defenseman Kris Letang) as well.”

Malkin was the biggest name the Penguins had to re-sign this offseason. But he wasn’t their only prominent returnee.

Letang as well as top-six wingers Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust all re-signed, agreeing to multiyear deals that will largely keep the core and most of the key supplemental pieces intact for several seasons.

Malkin expressed satisfaction with the financial finagling management performed to keep the roster mostly intact.

“I’m not surprised because we have a good team and I think most players want to stay here because they understand we have a chance to win,” Malkin said. “This is a professional organization. We work here every day. Work to win. We know when guys sign here, they want to stay here a long time because (there is) a chance to win. I’m glad we signed (Letang), we signed (forward Rickard) Rakell. It’s amazing.”

Malkin’s 2021-22 season was far from amazing. After undergoing surgery to his right knee during the 2021 offseason, Malkin was limited to 41 games and 42 points (20 goals, 22 assists). A scoring rate of more than a point per game is strong in any context, but much of Malkin’s offense was buoyed by 20 power-play points (nine goals, 11 assists).

His five-on-five play, by most measures, was below his nonpareil standards.

Malkin worked to strengthen that damaged knee this summer.

“I stay focused on my knee,” Malkin said. “It most important right now. I feel fine. I think I rested a little bit more this summer. Back to Russia (for a) little bit, I see my parents, see my friends. Back to Miami, work out in Miami. This year, I’m back before training camp a little bit early. Like three weeks before training camp. Spent time more here. Skated a little bit more here before training camp.

“We’ll see when the season starts. We’ll see if I (play good) or not.”

Malkin looks strong to his coaches, albeit through the limited scope of a scrimmage and a handful of informal skating sessions.

“I thought he looked good in the intrasquad game,” Sullivan said. “I’ve seen him and, you know, just periodically over the last week or so, just in the informal skates with some of the guys. And he looks strong, he’s fit, he’s in shape and he’s hungry.”

A voracious Malkin remained in Pittsburgh after entering a summer of uncertainty. He professed a pretty basic motivation for staying put.

“I’m glad to stay here and enjoy a great organization, great team,” Malkin said. “We focus on (the Stanley Cup) Final again. Try to win.”

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