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Evgeni Malkin is forcing the Penguins to make a scary choice
Photo credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
Evgeni Malkin is ripping up the 2025-26 season, and the Pittsburgh Penguins have to decide if a contract extension fits the next era.
This is the core dilemma in Pittsburgh right now. Keep the legend, or finally let the roster get young for real.
Malkin is sitting on 10-25-35 and he is still driving play when his line has the puck. That is not nostalgia, that is production.
He is also in the final season of his deal, with a $6.1 million cap hit, and he can hit UFA after this year.
The Penguins are not limping through the standings either. They are 25-14-11 right now, which keeps the playoff math very real.
That is why the talk hits different this time.
If you extend him, you are basically admitting the window is still open. You are also tying up money that could go to speed, cheap depth, and the next wave.
If you let it ride and move on, you are telling Sidney Crosby you are ready to pivot. That is a hard sentence to say out loud.
Evgeni Malkin keeps the Pittsburgh Penguins in it
Fans can feel the tug of war every night, because the idea of "rebuild" sounds smart, until Malkin starts cooking on the man advantage.
The on-ice case is simple. He still makes passes through layers that most teams cannot defend.
The roster case is messier. Every dollar matters when you are trying to patch the blue line and stay stable between the pipes.
Kyle Dubas has to pick a lane, but he does not have to rush it. If the Penguins are still in a playoff spot near the deadline, the logic shifts.
My gut says the cleanest compromise is a short extension, if the number stays reasonable. One more run, without handcuffing the future.
Either way, the next contract talks will tell us what Pittsburgh thinks it is, right now.
Also read on HockeyUnplugged :
Sidney Crosby is forcing Kyle Dubas into one crucial decision
Sidney Crosby is forcing Kyle Dubas into one crucial decision
| POLL | ||
JANVIER 25|155 ANSWERS Evgeni Malkin is forcing the Penguins to make a scary choice Should the Pittsburgh Penguins extend Evgeni Malkin this season? | ||
| Yes | 129 | 83.2 % |
| No | 26 | 16.8 % |
| List of polls | ||