CRANBERRY, Pa. -- Evgeni Malkin is accepting reality with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
At 38 years old, the center is the eldest member of a roster projected to be the oldest in the NHL (average age of 30.9 years). Jeff Carter, 39, left that for him upon retiring at the end of last season.
Malkin has been in Pittsburgh since 2006-07. He’s always been a key leader, alongside center Sidney Crosby and defenseman Kris Letang.
This is new.
"No, I'm not OK,” Malkin said in jest Thursday.
Malkin is actually embracing it.
“Try to be a leader a little bit more. I have great experience. I'm the oldest guy on this team,” Malkin said. “Be a leader in the locker room. It's good for me to start to do a little bit better in the locker room, like talk to guys, talk to coaches. This is what I can do.”
Crosby, 37, is the captain. Malkin is an alternate along with Letang, 37.
Each leads differently. Crosby often talks to coach Mike Sullivan at the white board between drills, staying after to work on one small aspect of his game. Letang, routinely one of the last players to leave the ice, has an infamously rigorous exercise routine.
Malkin is the most vocal and emotional. He scored in a scrimmage Thursday, celebrating as if it came in late May.
"I think he's just got to be himself," Crosby said. "He's a guy that will keep things light. I think he understands when it's time to elevate. There's always certain games or certain times throughout the year where you have to step up. I think he's always been someone that understands that and can be counted on. So yeah, I think that he leads in a lot of different ways but he just has to be himself."
Malkin, Crosby and Letang won the Stanley Cup together in 2009, 2016 and 2017. Now, they share a dissatisfaction.
In 2022-23, Malkin and Crosby played a full 82 games for the first time as teammates. They did it again last season, when Letang also played 82. The Penguins missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs each time.
"The whole leadership, me, Sid, ‘Tanger,’ we want to, like, win every game,” Malkin said. “It's so funny, when me and Sid play 82 games, we miss playoffs. Maybe I'll miss one game this year.
“We don't want a long summer again. We want to play in the playoffs. Any team can win in the playoffs, the Stanley Cup.”
Malkin had 67 points (27 goals, 40 assists) last season, second on Pittsburgh behind Crosby (94 points; 42 goals, 52 assists). He had 11 points (six goals, five assists) in the final eight games.
Entering his 19th NHL season, Malkin is third in Penguins history with 1,296 points (Mario Lemieux, 1,723; Crosby, 1,596), 498 goals (Lemieux, 690; Crosby, 592) and 798 assists (Lemieux, 1,033; Crosby, 1,004). His 1,145 games played are the second most in their history, trailing Crosby (1,272).
"When you look at what he's accomplished, along with the other guys that he's played with that we talk about all the time, his legacy is remarkable," Sullivan said. "To continue to play at an elite level like he has shown, it's just a huge credit to him and how hard he works. I think it stems from his love for hockey and his passion for the game. ... I think the biggest way that he's emerged as a leader is through his example, how he carries himself both on the ice and off the ice."
Malkin is signed through the 2025-26 season. He’s set to check off a few more individual milestones.
That’s something to look forward to. As a leader, though, he said it isn’t enough.
“I don't want to be here the next two years just, like, play my game, score like 500 goals and do nothing after,” Malkin said. “I want to be here to win. My goal this summer and this season is to help the team make the playoffs, for sure.”
