3 offseason mistakes the Pittsburgh Penguins will come to regret

1. Mishandling Evgeni Malkin’s Extension

Sidney Crosby is by far the face of the franchise, and has been since the day he was drafted, but in close second behind him has been Evgeni Malkin.

Malkin is still a stellar offensive producer in the NHL, and in 981 regular season games in Pittsburgh, he has amassed 444 goals and 1146 total points. With three cups to his name, a Calder Trophy, a Hart Trophy, a Ted Lindsay, two Art Ross’ and a Conn Smythe, he is guaranteed to be heading to the Hall of Fame.

Injuries have been a concern with Malkin throughout his career, with just two full seasons under his belt between 2007 and 2009, and they have particularly taken their toll on him over the past few seasons.

But despite this, he still produces every time he is on the ice and was around a point-per-game in both the regular season (41GP: 20G-22A-42P) and playoffs (7GP: 3G-3A-6P) this year, showing how much he still means to the team.

Which made the dragged-out contract negotiations quite a surprising situation to witness. Reports of the team not engaging with Malkin and the Russian talking to teammates about how sad he felt with a lack of progress, and his genuine desire to only play for the Penguins, made for difficult reading as the summer progressed.

Ultimately, a four-year, $6.1 million extension was agreed – effectively signaling that team’s window to compete remains open, at least for the next four seasons. This is a positive for the Pittsburgh Penguins, and while the mishandling of the whole situation will not have an impact on the ice, it certainly leaves a sour taste.

For a player who has given so much to the team, with so much success, it’s a shame that a deal could not be hashed out sooner and the ugliness observed by many through social and mainstream media would have been avoided.

It is something management should regret and making amends with Malkin, showing him how much he is truly valued, is something they need to do as soon as he walks through the door at training camp.