Penguins' Evgeni Malkin latest contract update delays issue for Pittsburgh legend

Evgeni Malkin is in the final year of his contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

If they're going to solve that dilemma, it sounds like it won't be right now.

Malkin shared with NHL.com over the weekend that any negotiations will "wait until the end of the season" and that there's "nothing I can say right now."

That's a bit underwhelming, but it certainly makes at least some sense for the front office to let the stretch run play out and then open talks up more fully with Malkin.

The Russian center will turn 40 in July, so in many ways, he'd be the kind of player a team might move on from.

But the Penguins have been revitalized this season despite the age of their stars, and it might now make sense to try to run it back.

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Malkin has played 44 games this season and has 13 goals with 34 assists (47 points).

He was the No. 2 overall pick by the Penguins in 2004 and has spent his entire career with Pittsburgh.

All told, Malkin has played 1,257 games and has 527 goals and 866 assists (1,393 points).

He has won three Stanley Cups with the Penguins, as well.

Malkin has made it clear in the past that he doesn't want to go anywhere else, so it'll be up to the Penguins to decide how much they'd want to pay him to keep him around on a one-year deal.

Eventually, this will come to a resolution, but not yet.

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• Alex Ovechkin has shared an update on his retirement plans
• Evgeni Malkin gets big news on a possible future