- Darren Dreger says Evgeni Malkin’s trade protection could narrow in January
- Penguins are 5-7-2 and Kyle Dubas is already listening on veterans
- Read below for Malkin’s contract terms, his numbers and what Dreger said
Evgeni Malkin’s name could start showing up in trade talk after the new year.
TSN’s Darren Dreger said on The Morning Show that he believes Malkin’s no-trade list gets cut down in January, which would open the door for a contender to ask about him. Dreger explained why he thinks Malkin could become a name to watch:
“I believe that Geno Malkin’s no-trade list, I think it gets peeled back a couple teams in January, right? […] He’s still a decent second line center, in my opinion. He could give you some quality minutes. So maybe you get into the new year and a name like that all of a sudden mysteriously pops, right? I think we’re in that place where it’s fair to have that conversation.”
Here’s the post with Dreger’s comments:
The Penguins are 5-7-2 through 14 games and sit sixth in the Metropolitan Division. Pittsburgh is also without Bryan Rust, who went on injured reserve Thursday.
Dreger reported earlier that Dubas is taking calls on Erik Karlsson, Kris Letang, Rust and Rickard Rakell. We broke down that report in our Karlsson trade story. Malkin was not on that list.
Malkin signed a one-year deal in May with a $5.5 million cap hit and a full no-movement clause, per PuckPedia. Check out the contract terms:
He has played well for a team that has struggled, with six goals and five assists in 13 games. Malkin is also a pending unrestricted free agent, and he said in August he wanted to play one more year.
Dreger’s comments are speculation about January, not a report that Pittsburgh has called anyone about Malkin.
