Kyle Dubas officially places Evgeni Malkin on the trade block: his legendary run in Pittsburgh is ending soon
As per the latest developments, Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins is poon the trade block, as GM Kyle Dubas has made it known that only Crosby is safe.
As Elliotte Friedman's recent 32 Thoughts blog reveals, the Pittsburgh Penguins have finally "opened for business," which is to say they are ready to shake up the roster and head in a youthful, future-assets direction.
Unable to keep pace with a league that only gets faster and younger, the Penguins have let others know they are now open for business.
They're seeking young players, already-drafted prospects, and picks, in that order, which would suggest a real, profound effort to replenish the talent in the franchise.
Most notably, Friedman identifies defenseman Marcus Pettersson and forward Drew O'Connor, but they may be just the tip of the iceberg in terms of potential trade pieces.
That news puts in sharp focus the future of Evgeni Malkin, whose decorated career in Pittsburgh has spanned nearly two decades and includes multiple Stanley Cups, one inextricably linked with Sidney Crosby's.
With management now open to trading most of the roster, that oft-speculated but never-realized departure of Malkin seems more plausible than ever.
Although Malkin has been one of the Penguins' core guys, his age and injury concern now make him the more likely of the two to be dealt for a team looking to get younger.
A trade would signify the end of a legendary era in Pittsburgh, with Malkin's fiery competitiveness and way of putting up points extremely important to the Penguins' success.
Crosby, however, is safe; Friedman reports only that the Penguins' captain is the lone untouchable on the roster.
Because he's the captain of the team and has played at such an elite level with consistency, Crosby remains at the center of the Penguins' identity.
Everyone else, from longtime vets like Malkin and Kris Letang on down, can be had for the right price. Even Erik Karlsson has been at the center of controversy recently, where he too can be traded.
In some ways, it means the Penguins finally seem to accept the reality of a rebuild. This may be the last season in which we see Pittsburgh's iconic trio together as they begin to make new changes in light of the ever-changing NHL landscape.
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