Latest news with #EvgeniMalkin
Time of India
21-07-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Penguins to trade Evgeni Malkin? Rumors hint Sidney Crosby may lose his legendary running mate
Penguins reportedly eye shocking trade involving Evgeni Malkin (AP Photos) As the Pittsburgh Penguins embrace a full-scale rebuild, questions are swirling around the future of their core legends. While Sidney Crosby remains the franchise centerpiece, other veteran stars — including longtime teammate Evgeni Malkin — may not be guaranteed the same loyalty. With Malkin's name subtly resurfacing in trade discussions, the winds of change in Pittsburgh are beginning to stir louder than ever. Evgeni Malkin's Penguins future in jeopardy amid rebuild talks A recent report by insider Chris Johnston has cast a shadow over Malkin's tenure with the Penguins. Though the Russian forward has a contract that technically extends through the 2025–26 season, there are hints that Pittsburgh may be open to parting ways much sooner — but only under one condition. — sdpnsports (@sdpnsports) 'It would only be if Malkin wants to go,' Johnston stated, highlighting the organization's delicate approach. 'What's interesting about Malkin is that he's on an expiring deal. This could be his last NHL season. I know that there's been some discussion with the Penguins and Malkin's camp about if he wants to play another year. We'll see where that lands.' That hesitance doesn't just come from loyalty — it's tied to legacy. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Redefine Your Future with a Top Online MBA SRM Online Enquire Now Undo Malkin, a three-time Stanley Cup champion and one of the most iconic figures in franchise history, has stood beside Crosby through every high and low for nearly two decades. Any trade would not only shake the locker room but risk upsetting a fanbase deeply connected to No. 71. Is it a respectful rebuild or a difficult decision? Still, the reality remains: the Penguins are eager for a fresh start. The presence of aging veterans could hinder their rebuild timeline. Johnston didn't shy away from acknowledging that. 'This is not a mystery. I think the Penguins would like to cut ties if there was a neat and tidy way to do it. There's just no neat and tidy way to do it. I do believe they would like to start fresh, but, also honoring these guys. Respecting what they've done for the Penguins.' As the offseason unfolds, all eyes will remain on Malkin. Whether he chooses to stay for one final push or opts to make an emotional exit, the next move could define the end of an era in Pittsburgh. FAQs 1. Is Evgeni Malkin leaving the Pittsburgh Penguins? Malkin's future remains uncertain, as the Penguins are open to moving him if he chooses to leave. 2. When does Evgeni Malkin's contract with the Penguins end? His current deal runs through the end of the 2025–2026 NHL season. 3. Why might the Penguins consider trading Malkin? The team is undergoing a rebuild and may seek a fresh start while still honoring Malkin's legacy. Also Read: The untold story behind Mitch Marner's Vegas move: Report reveals when things began to break between the star and franchise Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
NHL Analyst Outlines Scenario for Possible Sidney Crosby Trade
NHL Analyst Outlines Scenario for Possible Sidney Crosby Trade originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Amid mounting speculation about a potential Pittsburgh Penguins trade involving captain and franchise icon Sidney Crosby, nothing has materialized yet. And according to the latest reports, it's likely that nothing happens on that front at least through next season. Explaining his view of the situation on his Bleacher Report podcast, NHL insider Frank Seravalli said any possible trade involving Crosby likely won't happen until the 2026 offseason — at the earliest. "I think 'eventually' might be the key word there," Seravalli said. "I could see it. I think it's still a real long shot. Mostly because I think we're taking Sidney Crosby — I think you have to take him at his own word. He wants to be a Pittsburgh Penguin. He wants to finish his career in Pittsburgh." Explaining what it might take to see Crosby leave Pittsburgh, Seravalli pointed to teammate Evgeni Malkin's likely departure once his contract is over next offseason as a potential turning point. That said, Seravalli emphasized that nothing is imminent and that Crosby might still want to remain with the Penguins after Malkin is gone. "I think one thing to keep an eye on here is that Crosby has been really focused on playing out this run with Evgeni Malkin at forward," Seravalli said. "Particularly, those guys have had so much success together, they're so close, that I think with Malkin's deal expiring at the end of this upcoming season, that maybe that presents a window or an opening where he reconsiders or something different happens." Crosby, who will turn 38 next month, continues to perform at an elite level and has two years left on his contract. He recorded 91 points in 80 regular-season games last season, yet the Penguins missed the playoffs for the third consecutive year. If Crosby gets traded, according to Seravalli, that won't happen in-season. On top of that, the insider believes this is not the offseason for a Crosby trade. "I also don't see this being an in-season trade," Seravalli said. "So I would think that if it's going to happen, that it would be in an offseason, and definitely not this one." This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 18, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Penguins predicted to trade Sidney Crosby
2025-26 will likely be Evgeni Malkin's final season with the Pittsburgh Penguins. But, what about his captain and nearly 20-year teammate, Sidney Crosby? Greg Wyshynski of ESPN predicted that if the Penguins get off to a slow start, Crosby will be moved before the end of the season. There have long been discussions about which direction general manager Kyle Dubas would take this Pittsburgh team. While it would likely benefit them to blow everything up and start from scratch, there are obstacles. The main one being Crosby, Malkin, and Kris Letang are still around. As long as those core three don the Penguin jersey, it will be difficult to punt on a campaign and tell those guys they can not compete for Stanley Cups — at least in Pittsburgh — anymore. However, the Penguins are on the decline, and after making the playoffs every year from 2007 to 2022, they have not reached that stage since. That includes just one trip past the first round since their last title in 2017. Teams like the Montreal Canadiens and Colorado Avalanche could make sense for Crosby, or perhaps there is a wild card out there nobody knows about yet. It has always seemed like he wanted to finish out his career in Pittsburgh and remain a one-sweater guy, but things change, and he could do his team a favor by requesting a trade and letting them get something in return. Crosby still has two years left on his contract at $8.7 million annually. He may be older, but he is still a highly effective player and could help a contender get over the hump. This is all contingent on how the Penguins come out of the gates in the fall.
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Penguins predicted to trade Sidney Crosby
2025-26 will likely be Evgeni Malkin's final season with the Pittsburgh Penguins. But, what about his captain and nearly 20-year teammate, Sidney Crosby? Greg Wyshynski of ESPN predicted that if the Penguins get off to a slow start, Crosby will be moved before the end of the season. There have long been discussions about which direction general manager Kyle Dubas would take this Pittsburgh team. While it would likely benefit them to blow everything up and start from scratch, there are obstacles. The main one being Crosby, Malkin, and Kris Letang are still around. As long as those core three don the Penguin jersey, it will be difficult to punt on a campaign and tell those guys they can not compete for Stanley Cups — at least in Pittsburgh — anymore. However, the Penguins are on the decline, and after making the playoffs every year from 2007 to 2022, they have not reached that stage since. That includes just one trip past the first round since their last title in 2017. Teams like the Montreal Canadiens and Colorado Avalanche could make sense for Crosby, or perhaps there is a wild card out there nobody knows about yet. It has always seemed like he wanted to finish out his career in Pittsburgh and remain a one-sweater guy, but things change, and he could do his team a favor by requesting a trade and letting them get something in return. Crosby still has two years left on his contract at $8.7 million annually. He may be older, but he is still a highly effective player and could help a contender get over the hump. This is all contingent on how the Penguins come out of the gates in the fall.
New York Times
09-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Geno Malkin's future and how long Kyle Dubas needs to build a winner: Mailbag, part 2
PITTSBURGH — Good morning and welcome to Round 2 of the July mailbag. If you missed the first part, you can find it here. Thanks as always for the great questions. Away we go: (Note: Submitted questions have been lightly edited for clarity and length.) Does Geno sign somewhere else in the NHL, retire and sail into the sunset as a 'Guin, or return to Russia and play a few in the KHL? —@Jaredreturns It's a great question and truthfully, no one really knows. It's always speculated that Evgeni Malkin could return to his native country to finish his career. Sure, it's possible. If he does that, hey, that's cool. He's earned the right to finish his career wherever he wants. Advertisement My guess is that the 2025-26 season will be his last playing hockey, period. I don't have any inside information on that other than what I've reported, which is that the Penguins aren't expected to offer him a contract following next season, but I think Malkin is slowing down and he knows it. And he's only about a year from turning 40 — it just kind of feels like it's time. I realize no one wants to hear that. I don't like typing it, because I appreciate all that he's done and I very much enjoy covering both the player and the person. However, I suspect this season will be Geno's farewell tour. I believe in Kyle Dubas and his ability to draft/ trade. With Sid getting closer to the end, do you think that Dubas can bring the team back to contention while Sid is still here? I think it's possible but I want to know if I'm a delusional fan or not, thank you! —@Ackelson55 Oh, I think it's possible. But it's also a matter of how much longer Sidney Crosby wants to play. I suspect we are all in agreement that the 2025-26 Penguins aren't going to be very good. It would be extremely surprising if they make the playoffs, and downright shocking if they evolve into some kind of a contender. Stranger things have happened, but I can't really envision either of those things taking place. Fast forward to a year from now, and Sid will be staring down the barrel of his 39th birthday and the final season on his contract. Might he retire following that season? It's in play. And it would be surprising if the Penguins were a legitimate contender that quickly. But … if Sid signs another two-year deal in the summer of 2026? That would change things quite a bit because by then, the Penguins would have a chance to become legitimately good again. It doesn't have to take 10 years. It doesn't even have to take five. However, the right decisions must be made, and some luck in the draft lottery would certainly expedite things. Advertisement Will any of this year's draft picks be relevant in the Sidney Crosby window? —@Felix_Charr I will reference my previous answer. Do I think Benjamin Kindel will be an impactful player at the NHL level in the next two years? I do not. Will he perhaps be impactful four years from now? Sure, that's in play, and if Sid is still around at that point, maybe you have something. Your reporting on the draft was pretty clear that Dubas has immense trust in Wes Clark and gives him a lot of authority in the Penguins' selections. Any sense if Nick Pryor had similar latitude, or how a consensus was reached on picks the previous two years? —@thatandysmith I can tell you that Dubas really liked Pryor and I thought it said something about Dubas that he kept Pryor when taking the job, even though Pryor's father was a high-profile person in the previous regime who was fired. My sense was that he trusted Pryor and his evaluation skills quite a bit. No one, however, has Dubas' trust like Wes Clark. To say that Clark is Dubas' right-hand man would be a profound understatement. It's easy to see why. Talk with people around the league, and you'll quickly learn Clark's draft evaluation skills are considered to be second to none. You've said many times that next summer is when Dubas intends to get aggressive in FA, but what do you think that actually looks like? Would he actually go after some of the big names that could possibly be out there? —@shafferrrr Well, that depends which names you're talking about. No, I don't think Connor McDavid is coming to town. Sorry in advance. But if a few of the young players are really starting to show potential, and if the Penguins still have around $50 million in cap space, yeah, I do think they'll be in play for some fairly big names at that point. If Rakell and Rust had been Malkin's wingers instead of Crosby's, would we be talking about how Geno hadn't lost a step while Sid was nearing the end? —@redbuppy If you're suggesting Malkin hasn't won the linemate lottery in recent seasons, you'd be 100 percent correct. He certainly has not. Crosby, meanwhile, had a slow start last season and came to life when Malkin joined his line. After Crosby got hot, the Penguins surrounded him with Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell. Advertisement So, yeah, Crosby received some serious assists from the staff last season and Malkin did not. No doubt. But … Sorry. Watch them play. Malkin has really slowed down and is half the player he once was. Crosby is still 90 percent of the player he was at his peak and thus still one of the 10 best players in hockey, even at his age. What's stopping Gavin McKenna from pulling an Eli Manning/Jaromir Jagr move next year and only wanting to play for the Pens? I'm sure he'd love to play alongside an idol like Sid. —@KOkal_ Gotta love where your mind is. Do it, kid! Eric Lindros is the last person I can think of who did this, as he didn't want to play in Quebec and ultimately got his wish by going to Philadelphia. This didn't particularly work out for Lindros, who never won a Cup and missed out on a decade-plus of living the good life in beautiful Denver. I just don't see it happening. It's frowned upon in the NHL and we don't know that the kid wants to play in Pittsburgh. I'm sure he'd be perfectly happy with it, but who knows? Maybe Chicago gets the top pick. It's a heck of a fun town. Lots of things can happen between now and then. At the conclusion of their respective seasons, who's more likely to want to pull their hair out: Sid or Paul Skenes? —@CaseyRibaric This is a great question with no right or wrong answer. Ultimately, I'll say Skenes. I've seen the Pirates play, and the Penguins are still better than them. Will the Pens trade both their Swedes before the Sweden game? —@slf66 Oh, it could happen. The NHL schedule gets released next Wednesday, but we already know the Penguins will play two games against Nashville in Stockholm in November. Will Erik Karlsson or Rickard Rakell be on the team? It's completely conceivable both are traded. I bet at least one of them is. Do you ever check out the Riverhounds? —@EricWall283961 I used to watch them play while at my former place of employment. Great stadium and their games are fun. I'm just not a soccer guy. Thanks for all the great questions, everyone. Happy summer. Be safe out there. Lots of news is still coming, so the articles will continue for the foreseeable future. Thanks, as always, for reading. (Photo of Evgeni Malkin: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
