Leaked text messages from Evgeni Malkin about Pittsburgh Penguins - uh oh

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Ryan
July 10, 2022 (10:38)

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There is definitely some tension currently between Evgeni Malkin and Pittsburgh Penguins General Manager Ron Hextall.

Malkin doesn't feel like he has received an offer that he deserves being a legacy player for the Penguins:

Recently DeSmith, Letang and Rust all renewed their contracts and Malkin sent them all a text to congratulate them and also said:

Do they want me?

According to Rob Rossi, this is also something Malkin wrote in a text and how he feels about the team:

They don't think I'm any good anymore

The Pittsburgh Penguins do want Malkin back, let's be clear about that, but not at the length of term that Malkin wants. Malkin is looking for atleast a 4 year deal, and the Penguins are offering no more than 3. We just saw Letang get a 6 year deal that brings him until the age of 41, and the Penguins, whether they are loyal to Malkin or not, cannot sign more players until the age of 40 at large contracts.

Over Malkin's 16 year career, he has only played in a full 82 games twice, and that was back in 2008-09. Last season Malkin only played in 41 games, 33 the year before that 55 & 68 the years before that. While Malkin is still a dominant player, proving that scoring 42 points in the 41 games last year, the Penguins cannot give a long contract to someone turning 36 at the end of this month, who misses half the games.

Negotiations stumbled primarily over the length of the deal, not the annual value. The Penguins' last offer was a three-year, $18 million contract, sources told Rossi. Malkin is reportedly interested in a deal lasting at least four seasons.