Is Penguins' Evgeni Malkin already campaigning for future decision after hot start to season?

Before the Pittsburgh Penguins emerged as a positive surprise of the first two weeks of the 2025-26 season by going 4-2 over their first six games, analysts and fans wondered if the rebuilding club could make either superstar captain Sidney Crosby or center Evgeni Malkin available before the March 6 trade deadline. 

Despite what some members of the NHL community seemingly want to happen, there continues to be no indication that Crosby will look to play for a team other than the Penguins anytime soon. The same can't be said for Malkin, who is in the final year of his contract and teased in September that he could be willing to join an advertised contender during the campaign. 

However, Penguins reporter Josh Yohe of The Athletic revealed in a piece published Tuesday afternoon that the 39-year-old Malkin isn't packing his bags quite yet. 

It sounds like Evgeni Malkin is campaigning to remain with Penguins beyond 2025-26 season

"Team sources have told me that because he loves playing for the Penguins and isn’t ready to be shown the door, Malkin would stick around for less money and a lesser role," Yohe shared. 

It's unclear how much "less money" Malkin would accept to stay with what's been the only NHL team of his career so that he could retire a one-club man. Additionally, there was no reason to believe as of Oct. 21 that Penguins president of hockey operations and general manager Kyle Dubas will change his mind about handing Malkin a deal at any point over the next nine months or so. 

Logic suggests Malkin will either cool off or miss time due to some sort of injury setback sooner rather than later. In total, he tallied 16 goals and 50 points in 68 games last season. 

That said, ESPN stats show that the three-time Stanley Cup champion began Tuesday leading the Penguins with nine points (two goals) on the current campaign. If he stays healthy and continues to turn the clock back, he could spark some interesting discussions within the Penguins over the next few months.

Will Sidney Crosby impact how Penguins handle Evgeni Malkin?

Yohe added that "Dubas isn’t afraid to upset" Crosby regarding a potential Malkin trade, largely because Dubas "was hired to build the team in his vision." That's all well and good, but it seems unlikely Dubas would pull the trigger on an unpopular move if Pittsburgh remains part of wild-card conversations through February. 

Of course, one losing streak may be all it takes for the Pens to ultimately plummet to the basement of the overall league standings. In short, Malkin and Crosby understand that Pittsburgh needs to do more than win four times in six tries for the club to avoid embracing the type of tank most expected from this team on the morning of Oct. 7.