In December, Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin joked he was already a “pretty rich guy.”
It looks like he would prefer to maintain the status quo.
According to multiple reports, Malkin, a pending unrestricted free agent who happens to be one of the greatest players in the history of the franchise, will go to market when the NHL’s free agent signing period opens Wednesday. TSN’s Darren Dreger first reported the development.
A request for comment from Malkin’s agent, J.P. Barry, was not returned.
Malkin, who turns 36 on July 31, is in the final year of an eight-year contract that carries a team-leading salary cap hit of $9.5 million. It is believed he has been seeking a new contract with more than three years in term from the Penguins.
Penguins management has made it apparent for several months to Malkin’s representation that any new contract could not command a similar average annual value as his previous deal.
A right knee injury that required surgery to repair during the 2021 offseason has hobbled Malkin for each of the past two seasons and is a leading concern for Penguins management.
During the 2021-22 campaign, Malkin was limited to 41 games — exactly half of a typical 82-game season — and scored 42 points (20 goals, 22 points) while averaging 18 minutes, 20 seconds of ice time.
General manager Ron Hextall’s most recent public comments on the matter came Friday before the second day of the NHL Draft at Montreal’s Bell Centre.
“We said right from the start, we’d like to bring (Malkin) back,” Hextall said. “And strongly believe that he wants to come back. We’ll continue to work at it and, hopefully, come to an agreement.”
Should Malkin not return to the Penguins, it would bring to an end one of the greatest careers in the history of the franchise.
A first-round pick (No. 2 overall) in 2004, Malkin was one of the principals responsible for elevating the Penguins into becoming one of the NHL’s premier franchise for the past decade and a half.
In 981 career games, Malkin, one of the greatest Russian players in NHL history, is the Penguins’ third-leading scorer with 1,146 points (444 goals, 702 points). A member of the franchise’s three most recent Stanley Cup titles in 2009, 2016 and 2017, Malkin won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2009 as playoff MVP.
Additionally, he has claimed the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s top scorer twice (in 2009 and 2012), the Hart Trophy as league MVP (in 2012) and the Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year (in 2007).
