Penguins Confirm They Expect to Sign Evgeni Malkin to Extension

Despite earlier reports that the Pittsburgh Penguins were not keen on giving Evgeni Malkin a contract extension, the situation has changed. General manager Kyle Dubas has confirmed that the two sides are working on a new deal, and the veteran forward is likely to ink a new deal in the coming days.

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Dubas confirmed, “We had a great exit interview with Evgeni directly, and great conversations with him and his agent J.P. Barry… So we would love to have him back, and we continue to work with J.P. on it.”

He added that he doesn’t believe the younger players on the Penguins roster did enough to be given a chance for the new era of the Penguins to take over. As such, there’s room for Malkin without pushing anyone out of a spot they’ve earned.

This doesn’t mean a deal is done, nor that the terms of the extension have been worked out. However, given Malkin’s public desire to stay and lack of desire to play for anyone other than the Penguins, this extension feels more like a formality than a hurdle that requires a lot of back-and-forth.

Malkin has been clear about wanting to continue his NHL career. The Penguins were less obvious with their intentions, but based on the season Malkin had — 19 goals and 61 points in 56 games — and the fact the Penguins reached the playoffs when few expected them to, it’s a no-brainer for Pittsburgh to let him continue his career there, especially if the price is right.

Back in March, Malkin was asked about the status of contract talks. He noted, “I can’t say anything. We talked probably two weeks ago. He told me we would talk this summer. I’m OK with that.” It sounds like the Penguins and Dubas made good on their promise to talk deal when the season was officially over.

As for how long the deal will be, “I feel great. I want to play next year, too. Maybe two years. Who knows? Again, it’s just business,’ said Malkin.

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