- Evgeni Malkin has not used the word retirement, but he has come close
- Kyle Dubas says the 26 games Malkin missed last season helped him
- Read below for the video of Malkin talking about his future
Evgeni Malkin has never said he is retiring after this season. He has just never said anything that points the other way either.
Malkin was asked about his future on May 1, a few days after Pittsburgh lost to Philadelphia in the first round, and he gave the closest thing to an answer anyone has gotten out of him.
“I want to play one more year, for sure,” the 40-year-old said, per NHL.com’s Wes Crosby.
Here he is that afternoon:
He could have hit unrestricted free agency on July 1 and let 31 other teams make a pitch. Instead he signed a one-year, $5.5 million contract on May 26 and locked in a 21st season with the only NHL franchise he has played for.
Malkin explained why the decision was never really close.
“It’s special for me, for my family. My son (was) born here. It’s not just hockey. It’s city, it’s fans, it’s friends. It’s lots of memories here.”
If this is the last one, the best era in Penguins history starts winding down with it. Malkin, Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang have three Stanley Cups together and are about to start a 21st season as teammates, the longest run any trio has managed in North American major pro sports.
Production was not the issue. Malkin had 61 points (19 goals, 42 assists) in 56 games last season, back over a point per game after missing that mark two years running, and some of that came from a move off second-line center to right wing.
The other part was time off. Malkin missed 26 games between injury and suspension, and general manager Kyle Dubas said the breaks did more good than harm.
“’Geno’ is built differently, and I thought the different times off during the year really served him well,” Dubas said. “I think we were fortunate in that regard, and I don’t think you ever feel that during the year at the time. You think, ‘Jeez, he’s out. That stinks.’ But every time he came back from being out, he played his best hockey.”
Watch what that looked like when it was going well:
The catch is that the schedule grew. An 84-game season means eight more nights than the one Malkin needed maintenance days to get through, and Pittsburgh is asking a 40-year-old to hold that production over a longer grind.
Crosby is in a different spot. The captain led the Penguins with 74 points in 68 games, stretched his record to 21 straight point-per-game seasons, and is expected to sign an extension before camp.
Erik Karlsson is on the last year of his deal too, coming off 66 points and losing top-pair partner Parker Wotherspoon to Vegas in a June trade.
Pittsburgh finished 41-25-16 and second in the Metropolitan last season, which nobody saw coming. Getting Malkin one more crack at a playoff round is the version of 2026-27 the Penguins are chasing.
