Metropolitan Notes: Malkin, Hurricanes, Flyers Prospects

Penguins center Evgeni Malkin skated yesterday for the first time as he works his way back from an undisclosed injury sustained nearly four weeks ago, relays Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.  However, head coach Dan Muse noted that the veteran is still listed as out week-to-week.  Before getting injured, the 39-year-old was off to an impressive start to his season, picking up eight goals and 21 assists in 26 games.  Despite missing 13 games, he still sits fourth in team scoring.  Malkin is in the final year of his contract, one that carries a $6.1MM cap charge.  He has spent his entire 20-year career in Pittsburgh but if he’s amenable to being moved, he could be an intriguing trade candidate if the Penguins fall out of the playoff race over the next couple of months.

More from the Metropolitan:

• With over $14MM in current cap space, per PuckPedia, the Hurricanes are well-positioned to try to add to their roster. Justin Pelletier of the Raleigh News & Observer suggests that Carolina’s top priority should be to go after another goaltender.  With Pyotr Kochetkov out for the year and Frederik Andersen struggling, preseason waiver claim Brandon Bussi has taken over the starting role.  While he has done rather well so far, sticking with him as their top option would be risky for a team with legitimate contention aspirations.  Having said that, there aren’t a lot of viable netminders available at the moment so if GM Eric Tulsky does want to go in that direction, he may have to be patient for a little while to see what options materialize.
• A pair of Flyers prospects are on the move in the WHL with the trade deadline in that league looming. The Seattle Thunderbirds announced that they’ve acquired center Matthew Gard from Red Deer while the Everett Silvertips revealed that they’ve added defenseman Luke Vlooswyk, also from Red Deer.   Both players were picked in the 2025 draft, Gard in the second round and Vlooswyk in the fifth.  Gard is having a quiet year offensively, notching just six goals and five assists in 23 games while Vlooswyk is still looking for his first goal of the campaign and collected six assists in 32 outings prior to the swap.  Philadelphia has until June 1st, 2027, to sign both players.