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Penguins’ Evgeni Malkin won’t need elbow surgery

By Dave Stevenson

Dec 27, 2015; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin (71) during the first period against the Winnipeg Jets at MTS Centre. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Fedyck-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 27, 2015; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin (71) during the first period against the Winnipeg Jets at MTS Centre. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Fedyck-USA TODAY Sports /
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Penguins center Evgeni Malkin won’t require surgery on his elbow and is not expected to miss any time as he rehabilitates this summer.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have a lot of things to be happy about after winning their fourth Stanley Cup. However, the team got a bit of a scare when Evgeni Malkin announced that he played in the postseason with a significant elbow injury and that he might need surgery to fix it. Fans can breathe out, as the team has announced that he won’t need surgery and isn’t expected to miss any of the 2016-17 regular season because of his elbow injury.

Malkin performed admirably despite his elbow injury, which hampered him at times. He had six goals and 12 assists for 18 points during the Penguins’ Stanley Cup run. Even when he wasn’t producing in the playoffs, his mere presence opened things up for the HBK line of Carl Hagelin, Nick Bonino, and Phil Kessel to dominate against lesser competition.

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He also had 27 goals and 31 assists for 58 points during the regular season despite playing in just 57 games. Malkin is a very underrated member of the Penguins. He takes a bit of the pressure off of Sidney Crosby and he might be the Penguins’ most deadly player on the power play. It remains to be seen if Malkin will participate in the World Cup of Hockey in September, but one has to imagine that if he’s not 100 percent healthy, the Penguins will advise him to skip the tournament.

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