With the NHL offseason right around the corner, Post-Gazette reporters Matt Vensel and Mike DeFabo are going position by position to examine areas the Penguins must address. The five-part series begins today at the center spot.
A few days after the Penguins prematurely exited the playoffs (again), general manager Ron Hextall sucked some of the intrigue out of the offseason when he said the team planned to keep Evgeni Malkin around for the 2021-22 season.
What had not been publicly revealed yet was that Malkin needed knee surgery. The Penguins announced two days later, on June 4, that he would be sidelined through training camp. If Hextall had hypothetically been open to shopping the 34-year-old, his health status torpedoed any chance of a considerable return.
So Geno will stay put, presumably along with Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang.
“We see a future with this core,” said Hextall, entering his first summer as GM. “We had a good year. It certainly didn’t give me pause to think about what we should do with this core. … I expect to have these guys back next year, for sure.”
What about the years after that? That is a significant offseason storyline.
Malkin has one year remaining on the long-term contract that pays him $9.5 million annually. The Penguins are now eligible to tack a new extension onto it.
Given Malkin’s contributions to three Stanley Cup victories, his willingness to play on an injured right knee during these playoffs, and his flashes of elite performance in 2019-20 and for a couple of weeks this past season, the organization is expected to at least explore a new deal with their future Hall of Fame center.
Can a compromise be found that allows Malkin to finish his career in Pittsburgh while giving Hextall the financial flexibility needed to build a contender around Crosby, Malkin and possibly Letang (who is also in the last year of his deal)?
Malkin has given no indications he wants to play elsewhere. And while Malkin did not speak with reporters after their first-round playoff loss to the New York Islanders, Letang suggested that his buddy wants to re-sign with the Penguins.
“Like I’ve said in the past, me, Geno and Sid want to finish as Penguins,” the blue-liner said. “We truly believe in ourselves, and we think we have a lot to offer.”
For that to happen, Malkin will probably have to take a pay cut in his next deal.
His age, injury history and the fact that he had one standout season in the last three will make an extension a gamble for the Penguins. Can Malkin be a top-10 center again? I suppose it’s possible. But the potential downside is considerable. Father Time hooks everyone, and Malkin could be staring at a steep decline.
Given that, it would be reasonable for the Penguins to seek a shorter extension that would slot Malkin in somewhere between the league’s top 20 and 25 centers going forward. Per Capfriendly.com, Kevin Hayes ranks 20th among NHL centers with an annual cap hit of $7.1 million. Brayden Schenn is 25th at $6.5 million.
Having no-movement protection may incentivize Malkin to take a little less.
As for the term, three years would make a lot of sense. That would sync up Malkin with Crosby, whose contract will expire at the end of the 2024-25 season.
I sure made this sound simple, didn’t I? But even with good intentions, negotiations can go awry. Malkin is a deeply proud man. And the Penguins, while showing proper reverence to a franchise icon, want to win the Cup at least once more before Crosby calls it quits. We’ll see if they find common ground this summer.
Expansion considerations
We assume the Penguins will protect seven forwards, three defensemen and a goalie in the July 21 expansion draft. Crosby and Malkin have no-movement clauses requiring them to be protected.
Theoretically, they could ask Malkin to waive his clause under the assumption the Seattle Kraken would not want a pricy 34-year-old coming off knee surgery, allowing them to protect another one of their forwards. But do they really want to play a game of chicken with the Kraken and risk losing a player of his stature?
As for the other centers, the Penguins should protect at least two of Jeff Carter, Teddy Blueger and Jared McCann. It’s the most important position in hockey, and it appears there is a chance that Malkin is sidelined for a chunk of 2021-22.
The Penguins have yet to finalize their protection list, but it’s a safe bet that Carter will be on it when they do. He had 13 goals in 20 games with Pittsburgh last season. He quickly became a vocal leader, earning the ear of guys like Crosby and Letang and youngsters such as McCann. And his cap hit is just $2.6 million.
Blueger, meanwhile, is a strong defensive pivot, a key penalty killer and with 22 points in 43 games in 2021, he displayed third-line upside.
McCann has enticing talent, but his playoff no-shows would give me pause.
Free agent situation
Blueger is a restricted free agent and the 26-year-old could be looking at an awarded salary between $3 million and $4 million should they go to arbitration.
Mark Jankowski is also an RFA but is unlikely to be retained. Versatile veterans Freddy Gaudreau and Evan Rodrigues will be unrestricted free agents.
Potential promotions
Radim Zohorna, another RFA, should be in the mix for a roster spot next season. The Penguins liked what they saw from the big lug in his first season in North America. He skates well and has deft touch for a 6-foot-6, 220-pound player.
Minor leaguers Justin Almeida, Jordy Bellerive and Anthony Angello are still under contract for 2021-22. None is a lock to settle in as an NHL regular.
Is this position a priority?
Malkin’s injury is cause for concern on multiple levels. Obviously, it won’t be ideal if he isn’t available until the snow starts falling around here and then needs more time to ramp up. But it could also overtax Carter, who turns 37 on Jan. 1.
Given that the Penguins will have limited cap space, it’s hard to see them adding another middle-six center to the mix. The focus should be to retain the centers they’ve already got and hope that somebody like Blueger takes another step.
Matt Vensel: mvensel@post-gazette.com and Twitter @mattvensel.
First Published: June 28, 2021, 9:51 a.m.
