Tim Benz: Leak of Evgeni Malkin info feels like it was done with a purpose

On Monday, The Athletic reported that the Pittsburgh Penguins are not going to offer Evgeni Malkin a new contract after his current deal expires at the end of this upcoming season.

Given that Malkin is turning 39 next month and only posted 16 goals in 68 games last season, that isn’t exactly a surprise. In fact, it’s something most folks in the hockey world have been assuming.

What was noteworthy about the story, though, is that the post cited “sources within the organization” as the root of the information.

That’s significant.

That indicates to me that the organization wants to begin the difficult process of speaking this presumption into reality. The franchise wants to start the ball rolling toward making this officially Malkin’s last year.

The team obviously prefers that result. They don’t want to extend him beyond the one year and $6.1 million remaining on his contract.

Fans and media are widely assuming this is going to be the case. Malkin may be leaning that way, too, but he hasn’t said anything acknowledging that.

Not in terms of official retirement after 2025-26. Not in terms of saying he’ll continue to play in Russia. Not even hinting that he’ll test free agency after this season ends.

To the contrary, Malkin has said that he only wants to play in Pittsburgh and that he will retire as a Penguin.

The timing and team-sourcing of this news nugget suggest the franchise would like to start formalizing that process. Add water, stir, and get Malkin to say publicly that 2025-26 will be his last season.

Or, heck, hang up the skates a year early if he feels like it.

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Either way, I’m getting the hint that the Penguins front office would like to warm up fans to the notion of finally saying goodbye to No. 71.

Perhaps they are hoping Malkin gets the hint as well.

Malkin may not want an 82-game goodbye tour. That doesn’t seem like his kind of thing. However, I don’t think Fenway Sports Group would mind throwing one for him — especially if that helps lay the foundation for good vibes on the way out the door.

Even if it is management themselves subtly pushing him through it.

I’m sure the Penguins’ brass wants Malkin to retire as a “one-jersey-guy” as much as he wants to make black and gold the only colors he wears.

So why not get Malkin to put that on the record… by going off the record with one of the team’s beat reporters?

Seems like a good way of planting seeds to me.

When the ‘25-’26 season ends, Malkin will never skate for the Penguins again. I think we all knew that before that story ran on Monday.

What we don’t know is how smoothly that process will go. This strikes me as Penguins management starting to polish the surface.

LISTEN: Tim Benz and Brian Metzer talk about Evgeni Malkin during their weekly hockey podcast.