It has been a long time since the Pittsburgh Penguins were clearly playing for the future, but we have arrived at that point. It can be hard to tell if you haven’t been following the Penguins because some of the usual faces are still around. Sidney Crosby. Kris Letang. And, for now at least, Evgeni Malkin.
Given where the Penguins stand in the NHL betting lines – the 4th team less likely to win the Stanley Cup – it is understandable they are looking into improving their roster.
This means trading veterans and acquiring draft capital.. For the last several months, potentially trading Crosby has been a hot-button topic. Likewise, many are wondering whether it may be time to let Malkin go elsewhere.
A Somehow Underrated Career
Imagine having an NHL career in which you played 1,200 games, scored 500 goals, and averaged more than a point per game, won three Stanley Cups, the Calder Memorial Trophy, a pair of Art Ross Trophies as NHL leading scorer, a Hart Trophy, and a Conn Smythe Trophy, and yet still being underappreciated.
That is the career of Evgeni Malkin. For years, he and Crosby were the modern-day Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr. When Crosby missed most of the 2011-12 season with concussion issues, Malkin took over. He won the Art Ross, Hart, and Pearson trophies that season, making a claim as “the best player in the world.”
He’s had a few anomaly seasons – an injury-plagued 2010-11 season, the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season, and injury issues that cut his 2021-22 season in half – but has by and large been a point-per-game player for the bulk of his career.
Malkin, at his peak, has been one of the most dominant forces in the NHL. He has shown the ability to dominate games, whether playing with Crosby or not. The one area in which he has suffered is in his image. Alex Ovechkin is the exception to the rule, but Russian players have generally had a less-than-favorable perception in the NHL.
If Malkin were a Canadian, he would have been labeled a generational player. He would be talked about with some of the greats because he has been objectively great. But because of the general feeling about Russian players, Malkin has managed to have a somewhat underrated career.
He Hasn’t Fallen Off a Cliff Production-Wise
Now that we’ve talked about the past, let’s focus on the present. No, Malkin is not the dominant point-per-game player he was previously, but he isn’t far removed from that. He scored 27 goals and had 83 points in 82 games as a 36-year-old a few seasons ago and has 5 points in 3 games played to start the 2025-26 NHL season.
Even in his “decline”, he had 16 goals and 50 points in 68 games. If anything, the worry about Malkin is his durability. Beginning with 2019-20, he has by and large struggled to stay in the lineup, though he played every game across the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons.
At this stage, you aren’t getting Prime Malkin but you aren’t getting someone who is totally washed up, either. He’s not still a legitimate superstar like Crosby is, but he could be a very good second-line center if he moved on from the Penguins. Nonetheless, he has already stated that he wishes to stay at least one more season in Pittsburgh.
Getting Rid of Him Makes No Sense (Unless There’s a Godfather Offer)
So, we come to the million-dollar question: “Should the Pittsburgh Penguins move on from Evgeni Malkin?” The short answer is, “No, but…” so let’s break that down to make it make more sense.
At first glance, trading him would be ridiculous. He doesn’t have the love or respect that Crosby does, but he’s in the same conversation in terms of importance to the Penguins. He has been on three Stanley Cup winners, even snagging playoff MVP in one of those seasons.
The simple fact of the matter is that Malkin has meant so much to this franchise that moving on simply to move on would be foolish. He has earned the same kind of respect as Crosby. We hear stories all the time about what a hilarious teammate he is. There is simply no need to move on from him.
That said, everyone has a price. The Penguins are in the middle of a rebuild and any aging asset of value – which includes Malkin – must be considered a possibility. Kyle Dubas will at least be listening to potential offers. If one comes along that makes too much sense to ignore, that is the only acceptable scenario for moving Malkin.
A Penguin for Life
The simple solution is to just let Malkin finish out his career. He is 39 years old and slowing down. Realistically, he has one, maybe two seasons left. Why move on from him to get a middling asset when you can allow him to retire with the only team that he’s known? There is something to be said about showing long-time players respect. Malkin has earned the right to retire as a Penguin.
