There’s just one day left before free agency, and some teams are feeling the heat. With limited cap space and several key players set to hit the market, teams are scrambling to make smart moves on the trade front.
More than 26 players and prospects have switched teams since June 23. One club having a tough go is the Pittsburgh Penguins. While their $19 million in cap space is better than most, they might still struggle to keep their core intact.
Now, rumors are swirling that the Penguins could be close to losing one of their longtime stars, Evgeni Malkin.
Amid Rebuild, Rumors Pop Up for Evgeni Malkin Leaving the Pittsburgh Penguins
According to RG, rumors have it that Penguins GM Kyle Dubas wants to tear down the current lineup and rebuild the team from scratch. With the team sitting right at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division, it is high time they start getting their act together.
Veterans Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell are already drawing interest, reportedly from the Buffalo Sabres and Columbus Blue Jackets. Meanwhile, it’s becoming clear that the Penguins don’t plan to extend Malkin after the 2025-26 season.
Malkin signed a four-year $24.4 million deal with the Penguins back in 2022, with an average annual value of $6.1 million. If the Penguins want to renew him, they would be spending nearly a third of their cap space. Not to mention, by the time Malkin becomes a UFA, he will be 38.
This makes it less likely that the Penguins will make him the centerpiece of their rebuild. One NHL executive mentioned to RG that, “I think what we’re seeing is that everyone is looking for the same thing in free agency: right-shot defensemen and second-line centers.”
With that in mind, there’s a chance that Malkin might be retiring after 2026. “Or he gets traded, gets a chance to earn an extension somewhere else, or increases his value for the free agent market next year,” says the executive.
The same executive also mentioned that 37-year-old Crosby might also be on his way out. They mentioned, “That would send a real message. This is a full-out rebuild in Pittsburgh and fuel [Sidney] Crosby rumors even more, but maybe it’s best for all involved.”
According to them, the Montreal Canadiens might love to have Crosby in their ranks. They continued, saying, “I mean, would a team like Montreal be interested in him as a mentor for [Ivan] Demidov that can also still play and be a stopgap in the middle this season?”
But Crosby’s agent, Pat Brisson, himself, mentions that these rumors are nothing but speculations. “Speculation about Crosby leaving the Penguins is ‘baseless rumors,'” he told reporter Rob Rossi directly.
Meanwhile, another source told Rossi, “Anything you read this weekend about Sidney Crosby leaving the Penguins is, in the words of this person, ‘a joke.’” But going back to Malkin, Josh Yohe of The Athletic mentions, “Malkin will return for his 20th campaign with the Penguins next season. It will be his last in Pittsburgh.”
