Evgeni Malkin’s future with the Pittsburgh Penguins sounds like it will be decided the old-fashioned way: year by year.
That was the message from Dave Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, who joined Scott Laughlin and Gord Stellick on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio and discussed whether Malkin could be back for another season in Pittsburgh. The short version? Nothing sounds locked in yet, but the door is wide open if Malkin wants it.
Pagnotta said the Penguins are likely to treat this as a season-by-season decision. He also noted that Malkin made it clear as the year wound down that he wanted to keep playing and believed he still had plenty left.
“He’s made it clear a number of times that he doesn’t want to leave Pittsburgh. He wants to continue, you know, playing there, and you know, I think with him, (Sidney) Crosby, (Kris) Letang- that’s what they want.
They want to be in a position to retire as Penguins and play their entire careers in Pittsburgh. So, great start so far.”
From there, Pagnotta laid out the likely path: Malkin, his agent, and Kyle Dubas will eventually sit down and take stock. At that point, Malkin could decide he wants to keep going if his body and game still feel right. Or he could choose to walk away while he’s still playing well.
“Let’s see how he keeps it going, and his agent and Kyle Dubas will sit down when the time comes and say, hey, here’s let’s let’s evaluate this. Let’s see where we’re at, and he may, at the same time, decide.
You know what? I want to go out on a high note.
If he does have this type of season, and hang them up at that point.”
Pagnotta added that if Malkin decides he wants another NHL season, the Penguins are the clear fit.
“But I think this is really going to come down to obviously how he performs, how he feels. But if he wants to come back and play more in the National Hockey League, he’ll definitely be with the Penguins.”
The situation comes with an obvious layer of uncertainty. As noted, Malkin’s close friend Alex Ovechkin is calling it a career and spoke about Malkin’s own decision after the morning skate ahead of the Penguins game against the Winnipeg Jets.
Malkin now has the same kind of choice in front of him. He appears undecided for the moment, and as the note points out, this could end up being his final NHL season.
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