- Evgeni Malkin would not rule out retiring after his 21st NHL season
- The 40-year-old signed a one-year, $5.5 million deal with Pittsburgh on May 26
- Read below for what Malkin, Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang said at Penguins camp
Evgeni Malkin is not ready to call this his last season.
The 40-year-old is starting his 21st year in Pittsburgh, and after the second day of training camp on Friday he was asked whether the season ahead would be the end of it. He left the door open.
“I mean, it’s a hard question. Right now, I want to say, ‘Yes,’ (to playing longer). But we’ll see how my body feels. It’s all about (that) I still love the game. It’s why I’m here, like, 21 years.”
Then he set the condition.
“I’m a person (that) if I don’t feel like 100 percent, I’m not playing, you know? Because I want to be on my top level. I don’t want to just spend time, just do nothing. It’s not my game. If my game helps the team to win, I will. If not, I’m retired.”
That is a shift from the spring. In May, Malkin said he wanted one more year and understood if Kyle Dubas wanted new blood in Pittsburgh, even if that meant signing somewhere else. Twenty-five days later he had a one-year, $5.5 million contract to stay.
He earned it. Malkin put up 61 points (19 goals, 42 assists) in 56 games last season, his first point-per-game year since 2022-23, and the Penguins finished second in the Metro before the Flyers knocked them out in six.
Sidney Crosby, who said earlier this month that he wants to keep playing in Pittsburgh for years, talked about Malkin’s new deal on Tuesday.
“He had a great year last year. I’ve been fortunate to play with him for so long. It’s not something you take for granted, by any means.”
Take a look at what the Penguins posted Friday:
Twenty-one years and counting is not marketing spin. When Pittsburgh opens at Philadelphia on Sept. 30, Crosby, Malkin and Letang will start their 21st season as teammates, stretching their record as the longest-tenured trio in the history of North American major pro sports.
Letang was asked what it would have been like had Malkin signed elsewhere.
“Obviously, it would be kind of weird to see him in a different uniform. As your career kind of goes toward the end, you want to be able to still perform and earn a contract. And that’s what he did.”
Camp week has already delivered some vintage Geno:
Malkin sits third in Penguins history with 1,407 points, behind only Crosby and Mario Lemieux. He turned 40 on July 31, a year older than both Crosby and Letang.
Dubas did not give him a speech when the deal got done, Malkin said. Just a note that the team was glad to have him back.
“I think, last year, I showed my good game,” Malkin said. “I’m excited to be here. Again, I’m here to win. I’m excited this year, next year. I’m still hungry.”
