The Pittsburgh Penguins have enjoyed a much more successful season than most people would have expected prior to this season, punching their ticket to the postseason as they currently face the Philadelphia Flyers in round 1.
A major catalyst to the Penguins strong year has been the play of legendary forward Evgeni Malkin. The 39 year old has enjoyed a productive campaign as he posted 19 goals and 42 assists for 61 points in 56 regular season games. He also recorded the Penguins first goal of the playoffs with a tally in their 3-2 Game 1 loss on Saturday.
The future of Malkin with this club has been in question with the Russian center’s current deal coming to an end upon conclusion of this season. The good news for Penguins fans is it sounds likely Malkin returns to the team next year as insider David Pagnotta noted: “He (Malkin) wants to, they’ll figure that out in Pittsburgh on a one year deal.”
Evgeni Malkin Can Still Produce
Despite his old age, Malkin has shown he can still be a lethal player in this league. The fact he has been able to produce at over a point-per-game rate this past year is a testament to his ability. He and fellow Pittsburgh legend Sidney Crosby continue to age like a fine wine as they provide the Penguins with a dynamic 1-2 center duo down the middle.
With that being said, it makes sense that any future extensions for Malkin would be short term deals. For instance, Malkin will be 40 years old at the end of the 26-27 season. Most NHL players retire by that point, but Malkin is no ordinary player.
Malkin has asserted himself as one of the most successful players in the history of the Penguins organization. Over his 20 year tenure with the franchise, he has amassed 533 goals and 874 assists for 1,407 points in 1,269 regular season games. Additionally, he has recorded 68 goals and 114 assists for 182 points in 178 games in his playoff career. Only two active players have registered more points in this league than Malkin: Crosby and Alex Ovechkin.
Penguins Have Surpassed Expectations
Malkin will look to keep playing a key role in Pittsburgh’s current playoff series versus their archrival Flyers. This is the first time that Malkin’s Penguins have featured in the postseason since the 2021-2022 season.
Few pundits would have predicted this group to make it to the playoffs. With an aging core including the likes of Malkin, Crosby, Erik Karlsson and Kristopher Letang: it appeared the best days of this team were behind them. The Penguins were expected to finish near the bottom of the standings in the race for projected top 2026 draft pick Gavin McKenna.
But the Penguins took that personally as they have surprised everyone with the way they have performed. The motivation is there to win as Malkin and Crosby are not getting any younger and only have so much time left in this game. The two look to go into the sunset with one more Stanley Cup victory to add to their three win collection (2009,2016,2017).
Penguins Receive Promising Update on Evgeni Malkin’s Future With Team