Evgeni Malkin hasn’t said he would retire after this season with the Pittsburgh Penguins, but it has been implied.
“I want to play one more year, for sure,” the 40-year-old forward said on May 1.
Malkin could have become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. Instead, he signed a one-year, $5.5 million contract with the Penguins on May 26, guaranteeing a 21st, and possibly final, season with the team that selected him with the No. 2 pick in the 2004 NHL Draft.
“It’s special for me, for my family,” said Malkin, who had 61 points (19 goals, 42 assists) in 56 games last season. “My son (was) born here. It’s not just hockey. It’s city, it’s fans, it’s friends. It’s lots of memories here. Never forget, of course. Again, it’s best moment, my son born here.”
If this is it, it marks the beginning of the end to the most successful era in Penguins history.
Malkin, along with center Sidney Crosby and defenseman Kris Letang, have won the Stanley Cup three times (2009, 2016, 2017). Set for a 21st season together, they are the longest-tenured trio of teammates in the history of North American major professional sports.