Evgeni Malkin is leaving the door open, and maybe that’s the biggest clue yet about where this is headed.
As the Pittsburgh Penguins gather in Cranberry Township, Pa., Malkin isn’t talking like a player locked into a clean finish line. He’s talking like someone who knows the next decision depends on how the season goes, how his body holds up, and whether he still feels like he can make a real impact.
“What do you mean, play more, 25 minutes? You mean years or game?
I mean, it’s a hard question. We’ll see what’s going on during the season,” Malkin said with a joke.
“Right now, I want to say yes. But we’ll see how my body feels, because … I still love the game.
It’s why I’ve been here for 21 years. I love the game.
I’m excited every shift, practice, battle, to see guys around and have fun.
“But most importantly is how your body feels. I’m a person where if I do not feel 100%, I’m not playing, you know?
Because I want to be at my top level. I don’t like to just spend time, just do nothing.
It’s not my game. If I can make an impact with my game and help the team win, I will.
But if not, I’m retired.”
That’s a different tone from last season, when Malkin had healthy knees for the first time in a few years and played with a clear edge. In 56 games, he posted 61 points and 19 goals, his 16th season in 20 years at better than a point per game. He was a major part of a Penguins playoff team while playing on an expiring contract that many assumed would be his last.
The finish line felt closer then, too, but Malkin pushed back. He kept the uncertainty alive until Jan. 23, when he said it plainly: “I want one more year.”
He even went as far as to say he would play for another team if Penguins GM didn’t give him a new deal, and the team eventually got it done shortly after their Round One Stanley Cup Playoffs loss to the Philadelphia Flyers.
“Of course, it’s easy (when you get a contract quickly). You know, it felt good to know you have one more year,” Malkin said.
“I’ll just try to be my best. I had an injury (last season), and so I had a little bit of recovery, and I feel healthy.”
This time around, the conversation isn’t just about his own body. Malkin also sees himself in the middle of a changing room that has more Russian or Russian-speaking players than he’s used to seeing. Arturs Silovs and Sergei Murashov are in the mix at goalie, while Ilya Solovyov, Egor Chinakhov and Andrei Kuzmenko are also there.
“I think it’s more fun. There’s more Russian language around.
It’s crazy. Like, I’m here for 20 years and probably the last 15 years, there were no Russians around.
But now, like, it’s almost like 6% of players,” Malkin said. “Just again, I hope they stay on the team.
I hope they show their best game. And like, if I have a chance to help, like any advice, maybe like go to the gym … and try doing my best too.
I know I’m the old guy here, and I have experience, and I guess, again, anytime, anywhere (I’ll help).”
For now, Malkin’s future still runs through the season itself, and through Dubas’s view of what comes next. Dubas was at best undecided about Malkin’s future until the end of the season, but Malkin has already made his case. The rest depends on how he feels when the games get rolling - and whether this really is the last ride, or just the next chapter.
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