It appears that the Penguins and Evgeni Malkin’s party are once again going to be discussing a contract extension — something that recently seemed like it might not happen until the end of the season.
Following Sunday’s 5-0 win vs. the Vegas Golden Knights, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was on TNT’s NHL Postgame and said that Malkin and the organization are set to “talk this week.”
“They talked last week, they’re supposed to talk again this week,” Friedman said. “Malkin had some frustration yesterday after their game that things weren’t more secure for next year, but they’re supposed to talk again next week.”
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After Saturday’s game against the New York Rangers, Malkin spoke at length about his status and not having a contract for next year. As it stands, Malkin is set to become a free agent in July if a contract extension isn’t reached.
“We talked a little bit with JP a couple days ago and he just say like, wait to end of season and see what’s going on,” Malkin said. “Nothing we can say right now. It’s not my job to talk to Kyle or somebody. I just play my game and just wait. Sid has injury, I want to help the team win, of course. Like no crazy news. I’m just waiting. And I think my agent tell me, like, wait to end of season.”
Shortly after Malkin spoke, The Athletic’s Josh Yohe reported that before he left the locker room, Malkin said a chat might still take place next week, specifically mentioning Monday.
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“It’s clear that no negotiations have taken place yet, that the bigger decision is whether he’s invited back,” Yohe said. “I doubt the money would be hard to figure out.”
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