Evgeni Malkin Isn’t Done Yet - And He’s Letting Everyone Know It
EDMONTON - For months, Evgeni Malkin has danced around the idea of retirement like a veteran forward weaving through defenders. The hints were there - the wistful tone, the careful phrasing - but the message was always just out of reach.
Not anymore.
After the Penguins rolled into Edmonton and dismantled the Oilers 6-2, snapping a four-game skid and pushing their post-holiday run to an impressive 10-2-2, Malkin finally said what many around the team suspected: he’s not ready to walk away. In fact, he wants more.
“I never said I wanted to retire; it was all you,” Malkin joked with reporters after the win, flashing the grin of a player who knows he’s still got gas in the tank - and wants everyone else to know it too.
At 39 years old, in the final year of a four-year deal that once raised eyebrows, Malkin doesn’t just look like he’s hanging on - he looks like he’s thriving. He added two more points to his season total Thursday night, including a vintage breakaway goal that saw him glide past defenders and beat former teammate Tristan Jarry with a slick backhand finish. It was a reminder of the Malkin who’s been terrorizing blue lines for two decades.
And now, he’s making it clear: he wants one more year.
“I feel great. I like how we’re playing,” Malkin said.
“It’s fun to win. Tomorrow we have a day off.
The rookie dinner is coming. I think we have a great team.
We stay sane. Level.
We have a chance to win every game.”
This isn’t just a player clinging to the past. Malkin’s production speaks for itself - 39 points in 35 games, with 12 goals and 35 assists.
That’s more than a point per game, and it’s not just empty stats. He’s contributing in meaningful ways, helping drive a team that suddenly looks like a contender again.
The Penguins, under coach Dan Muse, have found their footing after a shaky start to the season. They’re not coughing up leads or missing opportunities anymore. Instead, they’re climbing the standings, now sitting second in the Metro Division and putting distance between themselves and divisional rivals like the Flyers, Devils, and Capitals.
The resurgence has been powered by the same core that’s defined Pittsburgh hockey for nearly two decades - Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang, and yes, Evgeni Malkin. This season was supposed to be a farewell tour of sorts.
The team even leaned into it with bobblehead giveaways celebrating the trio. But Malkin, ever the competitor, isn’t ready to take that final bow just yet.
“I know I want to play one more year,” Malkin said. “I want to show I’m a good player.
I want everybody to see I can play next year. It’s my goal right now.”
That “everybody” includes Penguins GM Kyle Dubas, who now has a decision to make. The organization has been eyeing a transition away from its aging stars, but Malkin’s performance - and his openness about wanting to return - complicates that plan in the best way possible.
Adding to the intrigue is Malkin’s recent shift to the wing, a move that’s only increased his value. It’s given the Penguins more lineup flexibility and allowed Malkin to continue producing without shouldering the full defensive responsibilities of a center. And he’s responded by adding ink to the scoresheet with regularity.
Sources close to Malkin had indicated over the summer that he was undecided about his future. The plan was to evaluate things as the season progressed, with a clearer picture expected around the Olympic break.
Well, the picture is getting clearer now.
Evgeni Malkin doesn’t just want to keep playing - he’s showing why he should. The legs are still moving.
The hands are still magic. The fire is still there.
And the Penguins, once again, are winning.
So now, the puck’s in Dubas’s zone. Malkin has made his move.