Kyle Dubas drops major update on Evgeni Malkin contract situation
Kyle Dubas confirmed Tuesday the Pittsburgh Penguins want Evgeni Malkin back, leaving the door wide open for the 39-year-old center as free agency looms.
The Penguins GM addressed the situation directly, citing a "great exit interview" with Malkin and ongoing conversations with agent J.P. Barry.
"So we would love to have him back, and we continue to work with J.P. on it," Dubas told reporters.
That's about as clear a signal as you'll get from a front office still sorting through an offseason puzzle.
Malkin finished the year with 19 goals and 42 assists across 56 games. A +13 rating in a season where Pittsburgh ran a -25 goal differential at times tells its own story.
Pittsburgh closed 41-25-16, good for 98 points and 10th overall. The team dropped its final three before the schedule ran out, including a 5-7 loss in St. Louis.
Why the $3.8 million center still matters in Pittsburgh
Malkin's cap hit sits at $3,800,000, a bargain considering he produced a point per game over a 10-game stretch with 6 goals and 11 points.
The fade was real, though. His last five games delivered just one goal, no assists, and a -2 mark. That's the wall every 39-year-old eventually hits.
Bringing him back at that number? Smart business if Dubas can hold the line. Stretching the term or chasing a raise to make the deal close is where this gets messy.
There's also the optics piece. Sidney Crosby is still here at 38, posting 29 goals and 74 points. Splitting up the longest-serving teammates in modern NHL history isn't a move you make casually.
Dubas inherits that weight. He didn't draft them, didn't build the dynasty, but he's the one steering what comes next.
Head coach Dan Muse is heading into year two of his tenure with a roster that needs to decide what it is. Veteran-led contender? Soft retool? Both at once rarely works.
The Russian center has spent his entire 20-year career in black and gold. A move elsewhere at this stage would feel like watching your dad shop for a new house after the divorce. Possible, but jarring.
The next move belongs to Barry's office and whatever number gets floated back. If it comes in clean, this gets done quickly. If it doesn't, the conversation gets uncomfortable in a hurry.
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YESTERDAY
MAY 12, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Pavel Dorofeyev | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Tomas Hertl | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Tage Thompson | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Josh Doan | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Jack Eichel | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Cutter Gauthier | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Mason McTavish | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Zach Benson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Cole Caufield | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Alex Newhook | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Mattias Samuelsson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Beckett Sennecke | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Olen Zellweger | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Rasmus Andersson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Rasmus Dahlin | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Ivan Demidov | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jake Evans | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Lane Hutson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Josh Norris | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Brandon Saad | - | 1 | 1 | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||