'I Don't Know Life In The NHL Without Him': Penguins' Teammates Share Thoughts On Malkin And His Future

After being handed a first-round loss by the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday, the Pittsburgh Penguins held their locker cleanout day on Friday. 

The playoff loss was a huge topic of discussion, as was the state of the team and the confidence in the direction that GM and POHO Kyle Dubas is taking it. Head coach Dan Muse was also named a finalist for the Jack Adams Award for coach of the year earlier on Friday, so many of the players were singing praises for their first-year bench boss.

But, despite everything else going on, perhaps the biggest and most poignant topic of discussion was the future of veteran center Evgeni Malkin, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

During the cleanout, Malkin expressed his desire to play one more season in Pittsburgh, but he also acknowledged that, if Dubas and the Penguins should choose to move in a different direction and not offer him a contract, he's willing to play for a different team. Malkin and Dubas are set to touch base this week before Malkin heads back to Russia. 

And while Malkin discussed how he wanted one more year with Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang, Egor Chinakhov, and the rest of his Penguins' teammates, his teammates - and his coach - discussed how much having Malkin around has meant to them and their thoughts on him potentially returning for another year.

On whether Malkin will be back next season: "All I'm going to say about that is, I love Geno. I love Geno as a friend and as a teammate. I don't know life in the NHL without him. He's a guy who's taught me a lot over the years, just watching how he does everything and how he handles himself, and how he handles a lot of the outside pressures and a lot of the questions. But I want Geno around here as long as I'm around here. 

"I don't think Geno's gotten the credit he's deserved by outside people the entire time he's been in the league. Obviously, I think he's one of the best players ever. He's won a bunch of individual awards. He's won Stanley Cups. He's done a whole lot in this league. And obviously, when you play on a team with Sid, it's not that hard to get overlooked sometimes, but he's been an extremely special player for his entire career.

"But in terms of his emotion, yes, he is an emotional guy, and he's truly passionate. He cares so much, and he puts, like you said, [that] into cards. But into everything else, he puts everything into it. He gets emotionally invested in everything that he does. And you can see how much he cares with everything that he does. And he's pretty outward about it with a lot of instances. But it's hard not to love that."

“He’s an incredible individual, personally and professionally. Very fortunate to be a part of this group. Had some tough years. This year, we can finally see the good qualities in guys and what makes everyone successful. It’s been a lot of fun. ‘Geno’ is a big part of that. He’s a quiet guy, but he has a big personality. He’s been a big part of this room for a reason. I’m just happy that, so far, we’ve had these three years together. We’ve seen the good and the bad. Whatever happens now, we’ll find out soon enough.

"Obviously, he’s a big part of this culture, this group. He has been for a long time. He’s obviously still playing at a very high level. [Being older], you understand how difficult it is, the narrative that this day and age calls for now where it’s a young man’s league. He’s done everything in his power to prove to everybody and himself that he’s still a capable player. Be an impactful player in this league. Happy for him, no matter what happens to him. I think he’s going to land on his feet, and he’ll be just fine.”  

On the emotions of not knowing what's next for Geno: "It's the unknown. You don't know. I'm not in charge. Obviously, I have no bearing on what's going to happen. We're really close, all of us, like, me, Geno, Sid. You know, you just want to keep it going. You don't know anything other than that. You get so close with these guys that you want to keep it going. 

On what makes Malkin special: "It's just the commitment he has. Geno is a pure talent, and when you come into the league and you have so much talent like this, sometimes you don't see the work that is put behind [it]. But, as his career went on, he put even more work into it as he was getting older, and that's on the hockey side. And, obviously, people don't see that from him, but he's a funny guy. He's a guy that people want to hang around. It's just, you know, a great teammate. There's nothing you can say bad about Geno."

On being his locker neighbor: “It’s been awesome. For him as a hockey player, to be around him every day, to see what he does, learn from him, his personality, sit next to him, talk to him. It’s been awesome. 

On if he thinks Malkin will be back: “I really would want to see him back. I think he really showed this year that he’s a really, really good player. I think he was a big part in us taking a big step this year. It would be great to see him back.

"It’s just... I can’t see him not coming back. I’ll put it that way. The other thing hasn’t really come to my head yet. It probably won’t. So, he’s going to be back.”  

“I mean, it’s tough. We’ll see what happens. We’ve played together for so long. I think it’s clear that I’d love to be playing with him for longer, so we’ll see what happens. I think it’s pretty obvious that I’d love to keep playing with him.”

On what makes Malkin special: "Well, obviously, sharing the experiences that we’ve had over the course of 20 years. It’s just his ability to step up, his competitiveness, and the energy that he brings to the rink every day. He still loves it, he still wants to win, and he’s a determined guy with a lot of pride. I think for as long as he’s played here, I think he’s been a part of setting the standard. On top of all the experiences that we’ve shared, I think you build that belief, trust, and bond, and that’s something we’ve had over the course of time.”  

On what he's learned from Malkin through playing with him and befriending him: "A lot. Every day, something new. So, yeah, I learn a lot.

"You, like, dream about it, but it's pretty cool. Playing with him and just seeing him every day... he is so funny. Every day, happy. I love it."

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