The Pittsburgh Penguins have re-signed center Evgeni Malkin to a four-year contract with an average annual value of $6.1 million, the club announced Tuesday evening.
“Evgeni is a generational talent who will be remembered as one of the greatest players in NHL history,” Penguins general manager Ron Hextall said Tuesday. “His hockey resume and individual accomplishments speak volumes about him as a player, and we are thrilled to watch him continue his remarkable legacy in Pittsburgh.”
Malkin, 35, has spent his entire NHL career with the Penguins after being selected No. 2 overall by the team at the 2004 NHL Draft.
The product of Magnitogorsk, Russia has won three Stanley Cups (2009, 2016 and 2017) with Pittsburgh. He has also won the Art Ross Trophy (twice), the Hart Memorial Trophy, the Calder Memorial Trophy and the Ted Lindsay Award during his tenure with the Penguins.
Malkin’s new contract is set to expire one year after the end of Sidney Crosby’s current deal, which carries an $8.7 million cap hit until 2025. Earlier this month, fellow franchise cornerstone Kris Letang signed a six-year deal worth $6.1 million per season.
Most recently, the Penguins signed winger Rickard Rakell to a six-year contract extension with a $5 million annual cap hit. Malkin could spend quite a bit of the next four seasons playing on a line with the former Anaheim Ducks forward.
During the 2021-22 regular season, Malkin scored 20 goals and 42 points in 41 games with the Penguins. He added three goals and six points in seven playoff games as the Penguins fell to the New York Rangers in the first round.
Malkin has scored 444 goals and 1,146 points in 981 career regular season games with the Penguins. The 500-goal and 1,000-game plateaus should be well within reach for Malkin over the duration of his new contract.
More must-reads: