Evgeni Malkin in a different uniform? That still seems unlikely, given how much he has lobbied publicly to stay with the Pittsburgh Penguins for his entire career but Josh Yohe of The Athletic writes that there is growing pessimism about Malkin’s return.
The 35-year-old center is a franchise icon, and future Hall of Famer, and has indicated that he would take a discount to stay with Sidney Crosby and fellow free agent Kris Letang for another few years. Whether that discount is palatable to general manager Ron Hextall appears to be a different story, however. Yohe writes that “numerous agents” actually believe it is unlikely that Malkin returns to Pittsburgh next season.
It would be a shock to see the 2012 Hart Trophy winner in a different sweater, though even with his best years behind him, there would certainly be interest on the open market. Malkin still had 20 goals and 42 points in 41 games this season, producing well whenever he was healthy enough to take the ice. That health is a concern, as it’s been more than a decade since he played every game in a season, but it is not every day that you find a two-time Art Ross winner available in free agency.
With just over two weeks before the start of free agency, the clock is ticking on Malkin and the Penguins. The team has several other important UFAs to try and keep–including Letang and Rickard Rakell, whose situations are also examined in Yohe’s piece–along with arbitration-eligible RFAs in Danton Heinen and Kasperi Kapanen.
All that with a new ownership group that is not ready to take a step backward and wants to contend for the Stanley Cup next season. If there is a team worth watching over the next 16 days, it’s Pittsburgh.
Don’t Ron Francis this…
Hextall himself identified the retention of Malkin and Letang as his best path forward and Fenway retained him on the basis of that plan.
Don’t be a timid potted plant (as usual) and get them signed and don’t miss out by caring more about 2026 than now.
Let’s go.
Discount to play with Bergy?
If you mean with Bergeron and the Bruins, I can’t possibly imagine it. Boston’s cap space is a hell of a lot tighter than Pittsburgh’s, and their championship window is just as shut. And it’s not even that Pittsburgh’s incapable of paying Malkin what he could get on the open market — it’s that if they do sign both Letang and Malkin to such rates, the Penguins won’t be able to resign all of their useful players from last year, let alone improve upon a team that’s failed to get past the first round four straight seasons.
The team with the need and cap space for Geno is now (vomits) the Caps.
If Hextall allows that to happen he should be drawn and quartered, not just fired.
It’s time to move on from both, Great franchise players but they haven’t won with them in 4 seasons. It the long game time. Sign some new blood and try to win it all in 2024
Perfect yinzer comment. Always vague ideas that don’t even bother to check in on reality.
Name the “new blood” they will sign that will allow them to “win it all in 2024”.
Name names.
I’ll wait.
I want to win, lay out this great plan.
You never cease to amuse with your rambling. It’s almost like you are on a mission to prove your lack of hockey knowledge.
Still not one actual comment about actual hockey there, OneTrickPonyHockey.
Got any names?
Of course not.
Mmm … what’s YOUR plan, though? My take is that they don’t have the cap space to recreate last year’s team, let alone something that’s enough of an improvement to be a genuine contender.
Let’s say that Letang and Malkin take big time discounts, and they’re signed for $15 million between them. $8 million left. Rakell will take half of that. $4 million left. You can get MAYBE two of Heinen, Rodrigues and Kapanen for that, but only two. You still need another forward and a backup goalie just to fill your game-day roster, let alone the 25 man limit.
So maybe you go drastic and buy Pettersson and Dumolin out — they’re certainly overpaid. That claws a little over $5 million back, enough to get that backup goalie, re-sign the third of H/R/K, and have enough for a league minimum for that 12th forward. Unfortunately, now you don’t have a second defensive pairing.
So at best, what you have is last year’s team, missing a few minor pieces — and a year older. On an elderly team where “a year older” does no one good.
So what’s your analysis? Take the money available and come up with a team that’ll be superior to last year’s, while keeping Letang AND Malkin in the fold.
It’s true your lack of hockey knowledge is laughable! It’s real simple skippy. Sign Letang then package Marino with whoever else u want to throw in there for J.T. Miller. He actually is available in case you were wondering. Then u extend him and sign Rakell and have a dominant second line to match Crosby’s.
Also on a separate note I find it quite ironic that you’re calling everyone a yinzer when all u want to do is keep Malkin for no other reason then he’s been here forever and u probably have his jersey.
I’ve laid this out umpteen times.
Give Letang Geno’s money. Give Geno Letang’s money. Kiss Rakell goodbye (as much as that stinks, it was him or Rust), keep E Rod, keep Kapenen (turns out his QO is only $1.4 million) trade Pettersson or Dumoulin, promote POJ. If there is a trade to be made, I’d gladly move the first round pick (someone let me know when Sam Poulin makes it worth not upgrading a Cup contender when we had the chance).
Is that team better than last year’s? No, but it’s not worse, a healthy Jarry makes it better and you take your chance on a run.
There is no available path to a significantly better team when the core is aging, but you can stay in the mix, take your shots and not make Sid play out his career on a rebuilding team.
THEN, when it all collapses, you rebuild.
You don’t sign a bunch of overpaid mediocre UFA’s to 7 year deals who don’t make you better but does prevent a proper rebuild in a few years.
My fear is Hextall will repeat what he did with Tanev and McGinn…saving 20% on half the player.
Did you just profess hockey knowledge and THEN suggest a package built around John Marino will land JT Miller…?
This is why I call you yinzers, FTR.
Clueless fantasy.
Alright arguments been settled guys lol! The Pittsburgh Pirates fan trying to talk winning just laid out the game plan! One thing I can agree with u on is don’t expect Hextall to do anything bold. He’s not that kind of GM. But aside from that you’re still an ignorant chode when it comes to hockey.
John Marino and some spare parts for Miller…
Should we trade Ruhwedel and a 2nd for Draisital while we are at it?
I see you tossing insults, but no ideas (that aren’t unrealistic and just really stupid, that is).
This is what a yinzer does.
BTW, still waiting…I want to win…any ideas that aren’t absolute inane fantasy…anyone?
Rutherford signed Tanev
Because JR was specific to say he really wanted Marino, they cant pay JT and he wants out of Canada so yes get rid of Erod, Kap and Marino get JT and resign Rakell, then try to trade Petersen for another decent player
Me: Yinzers are too quick to shoo away our aging but still effective star players because they have unrealistic ideas about replacing them.
Yinzers: STFU, DUMMY…all we have to do is trade “Marino with whoever else u want to throw in there for J.T. Miller!!!”
Take a break buddy
What Malkin asking for I know Letang wanted like 7 mill + for 5 years which way to much term
both 3yrs 15 mil, Tang can get more if he wanted, malkin is not getting better as he grows older Unfortunatly gotta go after JT gotta replace Malkins soon enough
The same people clamoring to re-sign Letang and Malkin will be the first to comment when one or both hit the wall or sustain injuries. Offer Letang a three year deal at $7.5 million and if he turns it down tell him come back when he retires for a hearty handshake and a standing ovation at a game. As for Malkin take a serious pay cut over three years or wish him luck. If he goes to the Caps so what? He isn’t going to win the Cup there and the Pens won’t win any Cups with the same team from last year. At some point you need to start over. Save the money and make a big push when MacKinnon and Matthews become free agents. What good is it to squeak into the playoffs and get bounced in the first round?
Yeah, I can’t see it myself. forwhomjoshbelltolled just confirmed my scenario of his preference being a weaker team than last year: drop Rakell, drop middle-pairing defensemen (because who’s going to take Dumoulin+Pettersson in a deal and actually give anything back except a couple of third-round picks?), hope like hell they get the Tristan Jarry of 2020 or 2022 instead of the Tristan Jarry of 2018 or 2021, and add no one?
Fair enough: the concept of “It’s alright if the team rots around Sid+Geno+Kris, just so long as they all get to retire in Penguins uniforms” is a valid fannish choice. I just wouldn’t sneer too hard at the “yinzers” for *them* being unrealistic while I was making it.
“Preference”.
That would be a “good” take IF ANYONE could lay out a REALISTIC path to getting better instead of just locking in mediocrity for years and I was ignoring that superior plan for nostalgia.
NO ONE has and NO ONE can. Which is why it’s the plan Fenway signed off on.
Trade Marino for Miller…???
WAIT PATIENTLY and then sign either Matthews or McKinnon AS IF EITHER ARE GOING TO SIGN IN PITTSBURGH in a small media market on a team on the decline with no farm and Sid about to retire…I don’t even understand how much crack you would have to smoke to think that…it’s DELUSIONAL. It would have to be years of brain damage, though.
Just stark raving mad you have lost touch (probably never had it) with reality delusional.
It’s genuinely childish fantasy.
And yes, I do understand that yinzers don’t like to be called yinzers and react negatively to it…by proving my points.
I remain open to a non-stupid, non-delusional better path to contention for the Pens if anyone has one…
If only you weren’t going to be locked into mediocrity just the same.
No. There is no realistic path ahead that doesn’t involve a rebuild. No kidding. Any team that aspires to success has to take it, sooner or later. The only strategic choice to be made right now for Pittsburgh is whether to start that decision now, or be subjected to a few years of increasing mediocrity and irrelevance before you’re compelled to rebuild all the same.
And yeah, of course it’s nonsensical to bet the farm on the Pens somehow landing a MacKinnon or Matthews in free agency. More nonsensical than expecting that a team’s age, injuries and not enough $ to re-sign their own key people will somehow be offset by Tristan Jarry being (a) fully healthy and (b) consistent … but not by a whole lot.
The current core still has “it could happen if everything goes right” potential. We skated circles around the Rangers. Jarry was really good and still has ceiling left. Geno’s knee will be stronger.
Does that get us past the Avs? Duh, no. Nothing will. Like most teams, we’d need luck.
So, the question becomes do you rebuild now or later?
Well, for one, to “rebuild” now while we still have Sid, Jake, Rust, Jarry etc. WON’T WORK…we won’t get the high picks needed.
Beyond that, they aren’t going to let Sid play in another jersey and so then the question becomes, do you force Sid to play out his career with scrubs because you want to rebuild now or do you give him the best chance to compete AND to play with good players on a good team and let him chase Jagr for second all time for points?
Putting your best foot forward for a few more years allows that and THEN, when Sid is old or gone, the team bottoms out and you do actually get the high picks needed for a successful rebuild. Which makes it the right plan.
I just found the mute button is an effective tool. Sure helped with that crackie I kept hearing bark all the time. Josh Bell is silent now, you guys should try it.
Oh, and BTW, Yinzers…say it with me…
Stanley Cup Champion Jack Johnson.
Weird what happens when you don’t make a guy your whipping boy before his first shift.
Jack Johnson is a free agent. Why not bring him back to complete the nostalgia reunion?
A) We already have too much LD depth.
B) Yinzers will still boo him from his first shift because once they decide something they never ever ever ever ever ever let facts or reality change their mind.
We trade for Matheson…
“He STINKS and his contract is AWFUL!!!!”
“OK, he’s not terrible, but his contract is AWFUL!!!!”
“OK, he’s a pretty decent second pair D (which costs what he makes) but his contract is AWFUL!!!!”
“OK, he’s now a high end second pair D or a capable first pair D man (which makes his contract a bargain…and he’s signed in his prime years) but his contract is AWFUL!!!!”
D”Colorado is going to have serious questions about who to sign and for how much. MacKinnon will most likely re-up with Colorado but the team faces serious cap questions with their top six forwards and the key defensemen. Can they give MacKinnon an eight year deal on a team with so many players coming up for new deals? They can’t sign everybody. As for Matthews I am not alone in believing he will test the free agent market. Any team with cap space, and the Penguins can have cap space, can make a run at him. Pittsburgh fans are loathe to give up on their aging players. People are calling to bring Fleury back. The Pens aren’t going to win a Cup, or likely advance past the first round, with an aging Malkin and Letang. If you are satisfied with keeping the playoff streak alive then I agree bring Malkin and Letang back. I really believe in the end they will. But a rebuild has to start at some point and the free agency market will be strong in the next couple of years. The Pens prospect pool is very thin. Why not position the team to be in position to contend for free agents?
I will first address why this is delusional and then, for sake of argument, pretend it isn’t and then still explain why it’s a bad idea.
McKinnon is not leaving COL. Period. I doubt anyone thinks that. They will move heaven and Earth to keep him and he has no reason to leave.
Matthews is not leaving TOR, but if he does, his hometown team will have WAY more cap space, a brand new arena (assuming Tempe deal gets done) and a young team loaded with prospects in a state with no/low taxes. He’s going to skip TOR and ARI to sign in PGH….why????
But, OK…let’s say for some reason one of them did. It would take a $15 M AAV (at least) to land one as a UFA.
Can you name a Stanley Cup champ that has been built around a high priced free agent center?
None.
What you do find is team after team after team after built around players taken in the top 5 of the draft AKA where we’ll be in a few years after the current core flames out.
Signing a bunch of OK free agents to 7 year deals (required to land good players in free agency) just keeps us picking at #9 or #12 for years and getting stuck in the useless Minnesota Wild like middle. No thanks.
The problem is that most yinzers won’t watch a 30th place team and will jump off the bandwagon.
Looking forward to the leg room.
Media market isn’t a factor with hockey. How many hockey players are sought after for commercial endorsements because of where they play? How many Adam Fox commercials have you seen lately? Why aren’t the LA Kings every star’s free agent destination? The NHL isn’t the NBA. The Penguins spend to the cap ceiling every year and have one of the richest ownership groups in the league.