Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

Penguins Insider Reports Team Won’t Offer Evgeni Malkin Another Contract

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Spencer Lazary | Last updated Jun 16, 2025 10:51 AM ET

According to Josh Yohe of The Athletic, this is going to be Evgeni Malkin‘s last season with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Yohe reported this morning in his latest column on the site.

Malkin currently has one year left on his contract, which will take him through the end of the 2025-26 season. However, after that, regardless of whether he retires or wants to keep playing, he will not be a member of the Penguins.

Yohe had this to say: “While it remains unclear if future Hall of Fame center will retire following the 2025-26 season, the Penguins are not expected to offer him another contract with the franchise, sources within the organization said.” (From What I’m hearing about Evgeni Malkin’s future with the Penguins, The Athletic, Josh Yohe, 6/16/2025)

Malkin’s Last Season With the Penguins

At this time, it’s still unclear, but Yohe did mention that Malkin has stated numerous times that he only wishes to play for Pittsburgh in his NHL career. Which could mean that if he isn’t going to receive another contract from them, his time in the NHL may be coming to an end.

At 38 years old, he’s had a great career. He and Sidney Crosby dominated the NHL for the better part of a decade, but unfortunately, all great things come to an end. If this is truly it for Malkin, he will be celebrated in Pittsburgh until the end of time. Not only has he scored 514 goals and 832 assists for 1,346 points in 1,213 games, he also won three Stanley Cups with the organization in 2009, 2016, and 2017. He also won the Conn Smythe in 2009. He won the Hart Trophy (MVP of the NHL) in 2012 and the Art Ross (Scoring Leader) twice, in 2009 and 2012. As Yohe points out in his column, he is a no-doubt first-ballot Hall of Famer.

It will be bittersweet for Penguins fans to see him leave if he: does retire. It will be even more bittersweet if he elects to keep playing and signs elsewhere. Who knows though, maybe he’ll head back home to Russia and play a few seasons in the KHL before hanging them up for good.