PITTSBURGH — The spotlight on Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas might be brighter this week than at any other moment in his time with the team.

The NHL trade deadline is four days away, and in one of this season’s more stunning developments, the Penguins are in playoff position, sitting in second place in the Metropolitan Division. In fact, given that the Penguins have the NHL’s fifth-best goal differential, they might be actual contenders, especially if Dubas can improve the roster between now and Friday afternoon.

Of course, this won’t be the only thing on Dubas’ mind.

Evgeni Malkin’s contract has been on Penguins fans’ minds — and, naturally, on Malkin’s mind, too — all season. Malkin, who is in the final year of his deal, spoke with reporters Saturday at Madison Square Garden about his representatives’ meeting with Dubas last week.

What do we know?

Malkin’s primary agent, J.P. Barry, met with Dubas last week.

The two didn’t talk numbers, but rather the idea of bringing Malkin back past this season. No decision was made, nor was a new contract offered.

Malkin was not present at the meeting.

Following the Penguins’ loss to the New York Rangers on Saturday, Malkin told members of the media that no decision will be made on his future in Pittsburgh until after the season.

Barry confirmed to The Athletic over the weekend that Malkin will have a face-to-face meeting with Dubas “in the next day or two.”

So, as early as Monday, Malkin is going to sit in the same room with Dubas and discuss a potential future with the Penguins. Monday seems likely, given that the Penguins have the day off from practice. They play in Boston on Tuesday.

As of last summer, Dubas and Penguins management had concluded that Malkin was not part of their plans once his contract expired. Malkin will turn 40 in July, and the Penguins want to get younger.

Of course, no one could have predicted the season Malkin would have, how well he would transition to playing on the wing, or how impressively he’d gel with one of the Penguins’ newest players, Egor Chinakhov. Malkin has 47 points in 44 games this season, while also cutting down on the bad penalties and turnovers that have sporadically plagued his otherwise brilliant career.

The question now: Has Dubas changed his mind after Malkin’s elite performance so far this season?

Only Dubas knows the answer. The Penguins have around $48 million in cap space next season, so money really isn’t an issue.

The greater concern appears to be whether Dubas and the Penguins’ brain trust believe Malkin can help the team. Sure, he has been outstanding this season, but will he remain at that level a year from now and into his 40s? Those aren’t easy questions for the Penguins, who are well aware that public sentiment will side with Malkin, a franchise icon.

Sidney Crosby wants Malkin to stick around. After this season, Crosby will have only one year remaining on his contract. The Pittsburgh captain is not known to flex his muscles often about personnel decisions, but his influence looms large, and his affection for Malkin is no secret.

I spoke with Malkin privately after he met with the media on Saturday. I sense that he feels disappointed because he believes he has earned another contract. I wouldn’t say he was angry about the situation, but perhaps a bit miffed. He also offered that “maybe” things will change after he meets with Dubas.

A source close to Malkin told me over the weekend that the meeting between Malkin and Dubas is expected to be a “follow-up” to the discussion that Barry and Dubas had last week. It would be highly unusual for Malkin and Dubas to talk numbers without an agent present. Rather, this meeting is expected to be a conversation about the Penguins’ interest in bringing Malkin back next season, or what has to transpire for Malkin to remain in the team’s plans.

This decision belongs to Dubas, who has immense respect for Malkin’s career and his influence in the locker room. But Dubas also has a plan for the present and future Penguins, and his plan clearly is working. Will he extend Malkin’s role in that plan? We’re about to find out.

Trade deadline considerations

For the first time in years, the Penguins might be buyers during trade deadline week. The franchise possesses a bounty of movable assets, plenty of cap space and a couple of holes in its lineup. Buckle up.

The team’s actions could depend on Crosby’s recovery timeline.

Crosby was said to be out at least four weeks, and it has been almost two since he was injured in the Olympics. Does that mean he could be back in a couple of weeks? It’s conceivable. Remember, though, that Crosby did not undergo the typical rehabilitation process in Milan because, for the first few days after the injury, he was preparing to play in the semifinals and the gold medal game.

As a result, uncertainty surrounds his return. It could be two weeks. It could be four weeks. Maybe longer. It’s all a guessing game.

Crosby’s absence makes the Penguins’ need for a center more glaring. They’ve lost 70 percent of their faceoffs in the past two games. It’s a real problem.

Crosby’s recovery and the team’s performance in the next two games before the deadline could dictate just how eager Dubas is to add a center to his lineup.

Ultimately, the Penguins would love to add a depth defender, but Crosby’s availability — or lack thereof — could impact the plan.

See ya, Skinner?

There is legitimate interest from other teams in Penguins goalie Stuart Skinner.

This is a goaltender-starved league, and the Penguins could get something in return for Skinner, who was acquired from the Edmonton Oilers in the Tristan Jarry trade. The organization is also almost unanimous in the belief that 21-year-old Sergei Murashov is ready to thrive in the NHL.

Recently, Artūrs Šilovs has played like a No. 1 goaltender. He has allowed only 16 goals in his past nine starts.

That said, the Penguins value Skinner and his veteran presence. He’s played well in Pittsburgh. I sense that Skinner can be had in a trade, but at a significant price. The Penguins would let him walk this summer before they’d trade him for little value.

Broz’s reputation

The Penguins believe young players Avery Hayes and Rutger McGroarty are capable of helping them in the postseason.

I don’t hear the same things about Tristan Broz. He’s not having a bad season with AHL Wilkes-Barre, and the Penguins still believe he will be an NHL player, but team sources don’t have the same immediate confidence in him as in Hayes and McGroarty.

Ownership update

Since the Hoffmann family agreed to buy the Penguins in December, things have been pretty quiet on that front. The family is expected to transition into its role as majority owner of the franchise by the end of April, which, interestingly enough, would be in the middle of the postseason.