Things are no longer the same for Evgeni Malkin and the Pittsburgh Penguins.
After 16 amazing years that included playoff appearances in every season, three Stanley Cup Championships, and numerous individual accolades along the way, the era is coming to its end.
While the legendary trio of Crosby, Malkin, and Letang is still around, the success of the Penguins isn’t, as they’ve missed the postseason in three consecutive seasons.
Those three continue to play at a high level, but age catches up to everybody, and for Malkin, it happens to be coinciding with the end of his contract. Because of that, many have speculated that 2025-26 could be his last playing in the NHL; however, we haven’t ever heard from Malkin himself on the topic.
That changed on Thursday, as Penguins team reporter Michelle Crechiolo shared an article where she spoke to the soon-to-be Hall of Famer about many things, including his future.
“I think a lot about this whole summer, almost. I understand it’s maybe last year, maybe two more years. I need to just play fan. Because I play my whole life, why not just two more years? It’s so much better when the team wins. The last three years, we missed playoffs; it’s the worst feeling, you know?” Malkin said.
“If me, Sid, and Tanger play together, play one time in playoffs, like, one more time—who knows if we win, lose, just play together one more playoffs run—I love this. I think just start first game. Just play to have fun, try to help the young guys a little bit, because you don’t know how many years are left,” Malkin added.
I spent an afternoon with Evgeni Malkin going into his 20th NHL season, and he was in a great mood, funnier than ever.
“I understand it’s maybe last year, maybe two more years. I need to just play fun,” Geno said of his mindset.
Read more: https://t.co/GxiiVpOOa8 pic.twitter.com/mwyvzQXJpb
— Pens Inside Scoop (@PensInsideScoop) September 18, 2025
The 39-year-old is about to enter the final season of the four-year, $24.4 million extension he signed with the Penguins back in 2022.
Malkin’s playing future
While Evgeni Malkin is the only one who truly knows how much more he’s got left in the tank, it feels like how the 2025-26 season goes could be a deciding factor.
The 2024-25 campaign wasn’t his best, as the star center dealt with injuries and ups and downs in production, ultimately finishing with 50 points (16 goals, 34 assists) in 68 games.
Those numbers would be great for most, but they’re not up to standard for a player like Malkin, and you could see it wearing on him throughout the year.
His supporting cast in Pittsburgh didn’t help, though that could improve moving forward with the emergence of young players like Ville Koivunen and Rutger McGroarty and the offseason addition of Anthony Mantha.
Perhaps a bounce-back year from the three-time 100-point producer will persuade him to keep playing, because it’s clear that he wants to make one last playoff run with Crosby, Letang, and the Penguins.
