Penguins’ Dubas: ‘No change’ on Malkin contract talks, will meet during Olympics
While everyone is excited for the 2025-26 season to get underway, many are still looking to the future, especially regarding one of the mainstays in Western Pennsylvania.
When speaking to the media prior to training camp getting underway on Thursday, Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas was asked about forward Evgeni Malkin’s current contract situation and whether the team and the player have made progress on a new deal.
Dubas stated that there hasn’t been much change heading into the new campaign, but gave a timeline on when negotiations could pick up.
“He’s in a great mood every day,” Dubas said. “No change on [the contract] front. I spoke with him and [agent J.P. Barry] in the summer when stuff started percolating there. At the time in every one of their careers, I’ll sit when time permits.”
Dubas mentioned that the league-wide break for the 2026 Winter Olympics will provide a great opportunity for the two sides to come together to potentially hash out a new contract.
“The [Olympic] break provides a key opportunity for that…I expect him to have a great season.”
Malkin is heading into the final season of his four-year contract with the Penguins, which carries a cap hit of $6.1 million and a full no-move clause, that he signed in July 2022. Many have wondered about Malkin’s future for years, whether the team would trade the veteran scorer during its rebuild or wait for him to retire. At age 39, Father Time has seemed to have caught up to the former second-overall pick.
The Russian center’s production has certainly declined in recent years. With injuries and the team’s overall diminishing play, Malkin hasn’t averaged a point per game in two seasons. Last year, various injuries led to him missing 14 games during the 2024-25 campaign. Malkin ended up scoring just 16 goals and 34 assists for 50 points, his lowest point total since the 2021-22 season, when he posted 42 points in only 41 appearances.
Regardless of what happens after this season, it’s easy to say Malkin has had a significant impact on the Pens organization and the NHL in general. In 19 seasons in the Steel City, he has scored 514 goals and 823 assists for 1,346 points in 1,213 games. He’s third in franchise history in most offensive categories, and second behind captain Sidney Crosby in games played.
Along with helping the Penguins win three Stanley Cups, taking home the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2009, Malkin has won the Art Ross Trophy twice, the Ted Lindsay Award and the 2011-12 Hart Trophy.