Penguins: Evgeni Malkin’s days in Pittsburgh are numbered

Evgeni Malkin’s days as a Pittsburgh Penguins may be numbered, as the free agent is in line for a contract they can’t afford.

Reports are starting to surface that the Pittsburgh Penguins may be set to move on from franchise icon Evgeni Malkin after a whopping 16-year career at center for the club.

The accolades for the 35-year-old Malkin are endless. He is one of just 93 players in NHL history to score 1,000 points and is one of 30 players to record 150 points in playoff games. He won the Calder Memorial Trophy (NHL’s best rookie) in 2006-2007 as a 20-year-old and has eight All-Star Game selections under his belt as well as two Art Ross Trophies (for the NHL’s top scorer) and three Stanley Cup championships to his name. Through and through, he is one of the best to ever wear a Penguins jersey.

Coming off of a season in which he underwent ACL surgery, Malkin managed to still put up a point per game this past season and still looks fairly strong despite the fact that he is an aging player. He appeared in 41 games for the Penguins, scoring a total of 20 goals and 22 assists, good for 42 points on the season.

NHL rumors: Evgeni Malkin could leave Penguins

Josh Yohe of The Athletic reported Tuesday that in many conversations he’s had with Penguins sources, the expectations is that GM Ron Hextall will not bring Geno back despite the fact that he is openly willing to take a pay-cut to remain in Pittsburgh.

Malkin is a Penguins legend in his own right but he has never been labelled as the biggest draw since he’s been teammates with Sidney Crosby throughout his career. But there is certainly something to say about the fact that the Penguins have never missed the playoffs since Malkin’s debut all the way back in 2006.

With new ownership recently coming into the picture for Pittsburgh, The Fenway Group undoubtedly expects the Penguins’ winning ways to continue. They have no reason to settle for anything less. It’s becoming increasingly apparent that while Malkin is one of the more popular players the club has ever had, there just may not be a spot for him on the roster moving forward.

Coming off of a contract in which he earned $9.5MM a season, everyone knows that he will not be re-signing for anything close to the same amount. He has gone on record to say that money is not an issue for him anymore so if the Penguins front office brass wants to bring him back on another deal for nostalgia’s sake, they will at least be able to do it on a far more team-friendly deal.