NHL: Washington Capitals at Pittsburgh Penguins - Source: Imagn — NHL: Evgeni Malkin - Source: Imagn

$24,400,000 future Hall of Famer heading into his 'last' season with Pittsburgh Penguins, claims NHL insider

Modified Jun 16, 2025 15:23 GMT

The end of a spectacular era is nearing for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

It's been a 20-year run that included 3 Stanley Cup Championships, 16 playoff appearances, and the opportunity to watch three future Hall of Famers throughout it all.

The fanbase and city of Pittsburgh have been spoiled, going from Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr to Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Unfortunately, all good things eventually come to an end, and it's sounding like, one way or another, the 2025-26 season will be Malkin's last with the team.

Team reporter Josh Yohe provided the latest on the longtime superstar in an article for The Athletic. He shared the link to the piece on X (formerly Twitter).

"Evgeni Malkin will return for his 20th campaign with the Penguins next season. It will be his last in Pittsburgh. While it remains unclear if future Hall of Fame center will retire following the 2025-26 season, the Penguins are not expected to offer him another contract with the franchise, sources within the organization said," Yohe wrote.

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Malkin is heading into the final season of the four-year, $24,400,000 contract extension he signed with the Pens in 2022.

Evgeni Malkin has always said he only wants to play for and retire with the Penguins

The Pittsburgh Penguins had another difficult season in 2024-25, missing the playoffs for the third straight year.

Because of that, Evgeni Malkin was asked in late February whether he was considering retiring at season's end. He shot that down pretty quickly, reiterating his desire to stay in Pittsburgh and then retire after hopefully making the playoffs one more time.

Team reporter Rob Rossi spoke to Malkin then and shared an article with his response in The Athletic.

"I not retire... I retire with Pittsburgh. The Penguins are my team, I love this team, when I retire, it's here. This is my only team... It's my dream for him (his son, Nikita) to see us in playoffs—make good memories for him. I hope I play long enough to see it," Malkin said.

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If Pittsburgh really has no intentions of offering Evgeni Malkin a contract following the 2025-26 campaign, then retirement after an illustrious 20-year career feels like the most likely scenario.

Hockey fans should cherish what could potentially be the final NHL season for one of the all-time greats of the game.

About the author

Jackson Weber is an NHL journalist at Sportskeeda with a Bcomm degree in Business and Sport Management from the University of Guelph.

Jackson has grown up as a lifelong Pittsburgh Penguins fan. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are his all-time favorite players. Watching the Penguins win the Stanley Cup three times is an experience that Jackson will never forget. Years later, you realize how rare it is to see your favorite team win even once, so three championships were just incredible.

When not watching, playing, or writing about sports, Jackson loves to cook and is passionate about health and nutrition.

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