Pittsburgh Penguins Embrace Being In Limbo By Re-Signing Evgeni Malkin
The Pittsburgh Penguins are brimming with optimism as they re-signed center Evgeni Malkin to a one-year contract on Tuesday.
After getting back into the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 2021-22, the Penguins did what their fans hoped they would by keeping Malkin for at least one more season. His contract carries a $5.5-million cap hit with up to $3.5 million in performance bonuses.
The Pens' resurgence this season didn't involve them mortgaging their future by trading away young players just to win a post-season round or two. But it's also clear that GM Kyle Dubas and the rest of Pittsburgh's management have embraced their current situation and will run it back one more season as they try to win with Malkin and fellow stars Sidney Crosby, Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang.
BREAKING: Penguins Ink Evgeni Malkin To One-Year Extension
After a long period of anticipation, Pittsburgh finally signed the 39-year-old franchise legend for another NHL season.
It's all going to be a delicate balance for the Penguins, and in what will be an improving Metropolitan Division next season, a lot of things will have to go right for the Pens to get back into the playoffs.
It's hard to blame Dubas for running it back, though. You rarely, if ever, have a quartet of potential Hall of Famers in your organization at the same time, and you need to make hay while the sun shines.
With Malkin's re-signing, the Penguins have the opportunity to prove they still have some fight left in them. But time is of the essence, and if Pittsburgh falters early in the 2026-27 campaign, it will be fascinating to see what Dubas chooses to do with his group.
Ultimately, it could be that Dubas is only delaying the inevitable. Second-guessers couldn't be faulted for doubting what this Penguins team is capable of.
But Malkin's commitment to another season has to please nostalgic Pens fans. Pittsburgh will have Crosby and Malkin returning for what could be their final season together, and if they do the unexpected and run the table by winning multiple playoff rounds, no Penguins fan will bat an eye that Dubas gave Malkin one final lucrative payday.
Although the Penguins were drummed out of the playoffs' first round with relative ease by the arch-rival Philadelphia Flyers, the Pens had a decent season for their fans. Father Time has Pittsburgh on the clock, but this terrific generation of Penguins players is going to have what's likely to be their final kick at the can.
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This story was originally published May 26, 2026 at 6:02 PM.