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Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins. All Rights Reserved\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tEvgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins. All Rights Reserved\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
This is not about the huge weekend Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin just had. (OK, maybe a little bit.)<\/p>\n
And it\u2019s not about nostalgia. (Well, that might factor in a tiny amount.)<\/p>\n
This is about Malkin\u2019s quest for a new contract, and how things might have changed \u2013 should have changed \u2013 since the start of the season.<\/p>\n
That huge weekend<\/a> in back-to-back Penguins wins over the Florida Panthers further thrust Malkin\u2019s future into the spotlight. He had a hat trick plus an assist Saturday, then added a couple of assists Sunday. That gives Malkin 18 goals, 59 points in 54 games this season.<\/p>\n This summer, weeks before his 40th birthday, he is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent. That should absolutely not happen \u2013 the free agent part; birthdays, even big ones, happen regardless of whether we want them to.<\/p>\n Malkin has been a valuable asset this season. He has hop. He has swagger. He has said he wants to re-sign with the Penguins.<\/p>\n He has done what he can to keep his contract situation from being a distraction \u2013 after practice a couple weeks ago, he declined a request from reporters to be interviewed, accusing them of just wanting to ask about his contract. He wasn\u2019t wrong. It\u2019s a hot topic for a reason.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s take a quick pros-and-cons assessment.<\/p>\n Pros: Malkin is a future Hall of Famer who on Saturday became the 23rd player in NHL history to eclipse 1,400 points. He certainly does not seem to be out of gas, and, in fact, seems as hungry as ever. He has willingly moved from center to right wing. Signing him for another season would bring an important continuity to the locker room, where he and 20-year teammates Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang have formed a bond that is mutually beneficial.<\/p>\n Cons: Well. Umm. He does lead the team with 62 penalty minutes, some of them ill-advised. He has missed time because of injury and a five-game suspension.<\/p>\n So what\u2019s the problem? Malkin can\u2019t be described as fragile any more than Crosby or others who have been hurt this season. The idea that he will cross some sort of line in the sand when he hits 40 is silly. Judge the player, not the age. Even if he regresses slightly next season, he will still be one of the team\u2019s better forwards. And the notion that he would block a deserving prospect is unknowable. Remember when fans assumed that Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen would be productive members of the NHL roster all season? And Malkin certainly hasn\u2019t blocked the path for 18-year-old center Ben Kindel.<\/p>\n We don\u2019t know what Malkin will demand to re-up. He\u2019s in the final year of a four-year contract with a $6.1 million AAV. Maybe he won\u2019t settle for a paycut, but maybe he will. And with the salary cap expected to rise, and the likelihood of a couple forwards being lost to free agency, the Penguins can afford to bring Malkin back (assuming incoming owners the Hoffmann family allow the team to continue to spend up to the cap if it needs to).<\/p>\n Let\u2019s say Malkin will sign for $5 million for next season. He would be worth it, even for, say, a third-line winger, especially with player values probably going up along with the cap.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the rub: Penguins president of hockey operations\/general manager Kyle Dubas <\/a>has not exactly come across as someone itching to bring Malkin back. He did not engage in contract talks last summer. He was expected to talk to Malkin and his camp during the Olympic break, but that got pushed back until after the season.<\/p>\n At this point, Malkin has more than proven himself worthy of a new contract, even though he is willing to keep trying to do that.<\/p>\n Imagine a player of his caliber \u2014 three-time Stanley Cup winner, two-time Art Ross winner and one-time Hart Trophy winner \u2014 and at this stage of his career having to practically beg for a new contract, and being willing to prove himself over and over during the season.<\/p>\n Asked after Saturday\u2019s milestone game about proving himself<\/a> during this final stretch of games and the playoffs, which seem to be nearly a lock, Malkin put his heart squarely on his sleeve.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I say I deserve it but he says no, what\u2019s to talk about?\u201d he said of Dubas. \u201cWe\u2019ll see how the playoffs work. It\u2019s how I play in the playoffs, how I play in the last five games. We\u2019ll see what\u2019s going on in the summer, but now it\u2019s the most fun time of the year.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery goal helps me to (a) contract, trust me.\u201d<\/p>\n Malkin even embraced the move in recent weeks to wing, something some star veterans might have balked at.<\/p>\n \u201cI love playing center all my life, and now I love playing wing,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s crazy. But maybe I\u2019m an important player. I can play both. Talk to Kyle. What he love. Coach say play right wing. It\u2019s working. We see what\u2019s going on. I feel better every game. I understand the role playing wing, (defensive) zone and offensive zone. I (feel) comfortable. I love it.\u201d<\/p>\n If Dubas has strong reservations, or even moderate ones, it\u2019s difficult to understand what those might be. He can see the stats, the hunger. He could hear the chants of \u201cGeno, Geno\u201d Saturday that nearly brought Malkin to tears. While nostalgia doesn\u2019t normally have a place in a business plan, in this case it could provide a valuable stability in the team\u2019s psyche. Mess with good team chemistry at your own peril.<\/p>\n Coming into the season, there was a question about whether Malkin had what it took anymore. He dipped to 16 goals, 50 points in 68 games last season, with an ugly minus-24. He has answered that resoundingly, back over a point a game on average, so things have changed.<\/p>\n Unless Dubas is scared off by Makin\u2019s age, or for some reason simply doesn\u2019t like Malkin and is willing to let something personal like that guide his moves, the path forward is clear.<\/p>\n Bring Makin back.<\/p>\n Bring. Him. Back.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTags: Evgeni Malkin<\/a> kyle dubas<\/a> Pittsburgh Penguins<\/a> Shelly Anderson<\/a> <\/p>\n