.jpg)
1 hour ago
3
Evgeni Malkin's time with the Pittsburgh Penguins is heading toward a key determining point.
At the end of this season, Malkin's contract is up. He's due to be a free agent.
Most fans would assume that'll just be a matter of procedure, that Malkin would never leave Pittsburgh.
But given the fact that Malkin has made it clear that he doesn't want to go anywhere, and a deal hasn't gotten done yet, there's at least a bit of tension at play here.
Daily Faceoff's Matt Larkin analyzed this a bit further in his offseason free agent rankings, in which he listed Malkin as the No. 8 free agent if he does make it to the open market in the summer.
"Malkin wants to keep playing," Larkin writes. "He wants to keep playing for the Penguins. He’s been quite vocal about that, and it’s created a bit of friction between his camp and GM Kyle Dubas. That tells us it’s not a lock that we see ‘Geno’ back with the only club he’s ever known, but it’s also far likelier than not that the two sides hammer something out. Helping Malkin’s chances: his resurgent season and the fact Pittsburgh is a playoff contender."
MORE: We finally know what Sidney Crosby's Olympic injury is
Malkin has spent his entire career in Pittsburgh, and he and Sidney Crosby have become two of the best athletes ever in this storied sporting city.
It'd certainly be absolutely bizarre to see Malkin in a different team's colors next season.
It's still most likely, as Larkin writes, that Malkin doesn't go anywhere. But the fact that nothing has gotten done yet does leave the door open for what would be a very unpopular outcome in Pittsburgh.
English (US)