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Evgeni Malkin's future with Pittsburgh Penguins tightens as UFA clock approaches
Photo credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Rob Rossi says the hard part is here, Evgeni Malkin, 39, is on a $6.1 million expiring deal and goodbye feels closer for Pittsburgh.
That is the data punch. Malkin is in year four of a $24.4 million contract, carries a full no-movement clause, and can hit UFA status this summer.
Kyle Dubas did not move him, and that matters. Pittsburgh stayed intact because the club has points in 14 of 16 and sits second in the Metro race.
Malkin has earned that respect with 13-34-47 in 46 games. He is still a top-six driver, still a power-play threat, and still the best east-west creator behind Sidney Crosby.
The fit is obvious even now. Without Crosby, Malkin can still slow the game, draw coverage low, and open the weak side for Pittsburgh's man advantage.
The harder truth is age and roster timing. Dubas keeps calling this private, which sounds less like a formality and more like a real organizational decision.
Pittsburgh fans can feel the split. One side sees a franchise icon still producing, the other sees a front office trying not to get sentimental at the worst time.
Evgeni Malkin still gives Pittsburgh Penguins real value
That is why this story stings. It is not about whether Malkin can help, it is about how long Dubas wants this core to keep driving the bus.
There is no retention angle here because no trade happened. There is only an expiring cap hit, a summer decision, and a clock everyone in Pittsburgh can hear.
Malkin's job, once he returns from suspension, is still to drag offense through the middle and keep the Penguins in the playoff lane until Crosby gets closer.
That is why Rossi's point lands. The deadline passed, the run continues, and the goodbye feels postponed, not avoided.
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| POLL | ||
MARS 7|199 ANSWERS Evgeni Malkin's future with Pittsburgh Penguins tightens as UFA clock approaches Should the Pittsburgh Penguins bring back Evgeni Malkin for 2026-27? | ||
| Yes | 150 | 75.4 % |
| No | 49 | 24.6 % |
| List of polls | ||