Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas said Tuesday that he would "love" to have star center Evgeni Malkin back next season as talks continue with the player and his agent before unrestricted free agency.
Malkin, 39, just completed his 20th NHL season, all of them with the Penguins after they drafted him second overall in 2004. He had 19 goals and 42 assists for 61 points in 56 games for Pittsburgh this season. His 1.09 points per game average was his highest in six seasons. Malkin helped the Penguins back to the postseason for the first time since 2022, although they lost to the Philadelphia Flyers in six games.
The Penguins center was in the last year of a four-year contract with a $6.1 million cap hit this season.
After Pittsburgh was eliminated from the playoffs, Malkin said "I want to play in the NHL, for sure" in 2026-27 but wasn't sure it would be with the Penguins.
"I know it's not easy for Kyle. Maybe he wants new blood here. I understand it's a business, and I understand he maybe wants [to see] new faces here. But for me, I want to play one more year in the NHL. I'm not looking to play in Russia. But if not Pittsburgh, I hope some team," he said.
Dubas said the team has had discussions with Malkin and his agent about Malkin's future in Pittsburgh. Specifically, he said he didn't believe bringing Malkin back for another season would stunt the growth of any of the team's younger players.
"Obviously, had a great exit interview with Evgeni directly and then subsequently I've had continued discussions with his representative, J.P. Barry, [about] the season that he's had, where we're at, where we're going," Dubas said Tuesday in his postseason news conference. "I don't look at our younger players and think they did enough to have it viewed like he's blocking anybody out in that regard. So we would love to have him back. We just continue to work with J.P. on it. So I guess that's as clear as I can be."
Malkin had been a part of the Penguins' big three with center Sidney Crosby and defenseman Kris Letang since 2006, when Crosby was in his second season. The Penguins have won the Stanley Cup three times during their era. The three are the longest-tenured trio of teammates in North American sports history, having surpassed the record held by Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada of the New York Yankees (17 seasons) three years ago.
Crosby, 38, is signed through next season. Letang, 39, is signed through 2028. After the Flyers series, Crosby said it was hard to put into words what those teammates have meant to him.
"Honestly, it's something that we've probably just gotten used to, but I think they're like family. I think that's the best way to describe it," Crosby said. "I'm so appreciative for the opportunity to be able to play with them as long as we have. Hopefully we can keep going."
Dubas was hired as Pittsburgh GM in June 2023 after nine seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He said that he has understood since taking the job that the future of the big three as those players hit the twilights of their careers was always going to be a contentious decision.
"I knew that it's me that's going to have to make somebody or the fans unhappy with different decisions as they come. The key is we always have to do what's best for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Even if that's unpopular or it makes people unhappy, that's the way that we have to operate," he said.
While Dubas acknowledged that it's "a special thing that the three of them have played together for such a long time," he said there would be no hesitation about allowing the next wave of players to take over if the time was right.
"If there are players that begin to [get] passed by, regardless of who they are and how long they've been here, it's incumbent upon me to make those decisions and do what's best for the Penguins in the long run, But I know this is a very special situation in terms of the nostalgia of it," Dubas said.
