Former Penguins Executive Brian Burke Reveals Why He Almost Broke Up the Team's Legendary Core
Photo credit: Axios
Former Penguins executive Brian Burke revealed he nearly broke up the team's core if Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang wouldn't take pay cuts, which they did.
Tuesday night, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang joined as the first trio of teammates to reach 20 seasons together in NHL history.
The veteran Pittsburgh Penguins have created a legacy of championships, individual honors, and one generation of unrelenting greatness in professional sports.
Now in their mid-thirties, the annual Stanley Cup chase is something of the past, replaced by the harsh mathematics of age. But the friendship that tied the three together never wavered.
Former Penguins executive Brian Burke revealed that during the impasse on contract negotiations in 2022, the club almost traded Malkin and Letang, a move that would have ended the mythical period prematurely.
"Yes, we talked about trading both Tanger and Geno (Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin) if they wouldn't take pay cuts, but they both did. And so to me, I said to Ron, 'If we want to keep the band together, if we want to see what we can do with this group, then they have to take pay cuts,' and they both did," Burke said.
Malkin, 39, is entering the final year of his four-year, $24.4 million deal, while Letang, 38, is in the fourth season of a six-year, $36.6 million extension.
Both players agreed to accept less money in order to stay in Pittsburgh and avoid being traded out of the city.
An Evgeni Malkin Extension After This Season is Still Possible, Especially if He Shines
Crosby and Malkin have both insisted that they would love to retire in Pittsburgh as teammates. If Malkin were to indeed have a strong 2025-26 season, another brief extension appears all but inevitable.
Letang has not been nearly as open when it comes to his long-term future, but these days, it's difficult to picture him in another uniform. Whatever the future holds, Crosby, Malkin, and Letang are the bedrock of the Penguins.
They've ridden the rollercoaster with the organization as it crested and now stand together, hoping to lead it towards another renaissance before their immortal journey is over.
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