Twenty years. Three Stanley Cups. One jersey. Evgeni Malkin has spent his entire NHL career in Pittsburgh, and as of this week, the question of whether that continues beyond July 1 is finally moving toward an answer.
Malkin’s camp is reaching out to the general manager and President of Hockey Operations, Kyle Dubas, this week to set up a meeting, per The Athletic’s Josh Yohe.
The soon-to-be 40-year-old becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1, and after a season in which he posted 61 points in 56 games, his parting words at the locker cleanout were pointed: if it’s not Pittsburgh, it’ll be somewhere else.
Evgeni Malkin Contract Talks: Will the Penguins Get This Done Before July 1?
The situation carries echoes of 2022, and Sportsnet NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, host of the 32 Thoughts podcast, was quick to flag that history in his latest episode.
“The thing is that the last time he was a free agent, the Penguins made the decision to walk away from him. And then, when it really came time to do it, they wilted under the pressure. They couldn’t handle it.”
Evgeni Malkin has expressed his desire to play at least one more season, but will it be with the @penguins? 🤔@FriedgeHNIC talked about Malkin’s future on NHL Now.
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— NHL Media (@NHLMedia) May 2, 2026
That near-miss in the summer of 2022 came down to the wire. As late as the Monday before free agency opened, Malkin intended to test the open market. What followed instead was an 11th-hour, four-year, $24.4 million deal at a $6.1 million AAV, announced the same week free agency began. Pittsburgh blinked. And now, four years on, they are staring at the same crossroads.
Friedman made it clear he does not expect a repeat of that drawn-out saga.
“I would expect that we’re going to know about this one way or the other pretty soon. Because sometimes I listen to him and he’s so funny, and he just blurts out stuff. I don’t know whether or not to take him seriously, but I took this pretty seriously today. So what it says to me is I think they’re going to talk fast.”
What Malkin blurted out was unambiguous. At his locker cleanout following Pittsburgh’s first-round elimination by the Philadelphia Flyers, he said he wants one more year in the NHL and is open to playing elsewhere if the Penguins do not want him.
Sidney Crosby responded in kind, saying it was “pretty obvious” he wants to keep playing with Malkin. Kris Letang echoed the same sentiment. The dressing room is aligned. The front office is the variable.
Friedman outlined exactly where the friction points sit on any potential deal.
“He was a point-per-game player. But the other thing, and this was something another team pointed out, if you’re Pittsburgh and you’re Malkin: number one, if he wants term, is Pittsburgh going to want to do term? And number two, does he see himself as a center or a winger?
“Because he started the year at center and he finished as a winger. So I think most people kind of wonder: where does he see himself, and does he want term? Because you could see Pittsburgh having a bit more concern about that.”
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Those are legitimate football questions dressed up in hockey gear. Malkin turning 40 this July, playing wing by season’s end, wanting potentially more than a one-year deal, all while Dubas is simultaneously managing a roster that is transitioning toward youth without wanting to alienate Crosby in the process.
The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta has projected a one-year deal in the neighbourhood of $5 million as the most likely outcome if Pittsburgh re-signs him. Friedman’s closing read was straightforward. “I think we’re going to know fast. I don’t think they’re going to let it drag into what it turned into last time.”
For a franchise that has spent 20 seasons watching Malkin do things most players could only dream of, the clock is ticking on getting this right.
