

Evgeni Malkin’s 20th season with the Pittsburgh Penguins will apparently be his last. While it is uncertain whether or not Malkin will continue to play after next season, the Penguins are not expected to offer him another contract, according to The Athletic.
Malkin, who turns 39 in July, has stated numerous times that the Penguins are the only NHL team that he desires to play for. If that remains the case, and if the Penguins don’t offer him a new contract, the 2025-26 season could very well be the last NHL season for Malkin, a surefire future Hall of Famer and of the Penguins’ all-time great players.
A three-time Stanley Cup champion, Malkin’s long list of career accomplishments also includes a Conn Smyth Trophy (in 2009), a Hart Trophy as the NHL’s MVP in 2012, and the Art Ross Trophy after he led the league in scoring in 2009 and in 2012.
Malkin is third in franchise history in career points (1,346), goals (514), assists (832), and is second behind only teammate Sidney Crosby in games played (1,213). Malkin is unanimously considered to be on the Penguins’ Mount Rushmore of great players, a fraternity that also includes Malkin and Hall of Famers Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr.
In 68 games this season, Malkin tallied 50 points that included just 16 goals. This comes after the previous two seasons that saw Malkin score 27 goals in both campaigns while also playing in all 82 regular season games. While his production dipped off, Malkin did make marked improvement last season as far cutting down on his turnovers and making costly penalties.
Malkin’s dip in production this past season can also at least partially be contributed to a lack of support from the rest of Pittsburgh’s second line, an issue that the team expected to address this issue during the offseason. The Penguins also getting back Tommy Novak, who suffered a season-ending injury just two games after the Penguins acquired him just before the NHL’s trade deadline. Malkin reportedly wants to continue to play alongside Novak on the second line.
The report of this likely being Malkin’s final season in Pittsburgh is not terribly surprising. The Penguins — who relieved longtime coach Mike Sullivan of his duties after the 2024-25 season came to a close — are expected to undergo a youth moment after missing the playoffs for a third straight season. In addition to their playoff drought, Pittsburgh hasn’t won a playoff series since 2018, a year after it won its fifth and most recent Stanley Cup.
It’s certainly possible that the Penguins might reconsider their position with Malkin if he performs well in 2025-26. But at this point in time, all signs appear to be pointing to this upcoming season being the final year in Pittsburgh for one of the NHL’s all-time players.
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