Evgeni Malkin’s likely final season comes as the Penguins enter with long +28000 odds, creating potential sleeper value for bettors hoping for a storybook ending.
Evgeni Malkin has been one of the faces of Pittsburgh hockey for nearly two decades but the 2025–26 campaign may mark the end of his Hall of Fame journey. According to multiple reports, the Penguins are not expected to offer Malkin another contract following this season, making it likely the last for the Russian superstar. The report did not confirm Malkin himself but the writing appears to be on the wall as the team continues to lean younger under new leadership.
The Penguins reportedly will not offer Evgeni Malkin a contract extension, making the 2025-26 season his last in Pittsburgh, per @JoshYohe_PGH
End of an era 🐧 pic.twitter.com/7aL0af39wH
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) June 16, 2025
Even at 38, Malkin showed flashes of vintage brilliance last season. He finished the 2024–25 campaign with 16 goals and 34 assists for 50 points in 68 games. While it’s nowhere near the 113 points he recorded in 2008-09, it’s still serviceable for a mid-tier centre. He was among the Penguins top contributors, showing that his vision, touch, and playmaking remain effective even as the miles add up.
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The wonder is if the Penguins will opt to trade the veteran centre to a contender and help the Penguins retain something of value before he potentially retires. Over his career, Malkin has become one of the most decorated players of his generation. He’s won the Hart Trophy as league MVP, the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year, two Art Ross scoring titles, and the Conn Smythe as playoff MVP during the Penguins’ 2009 Stanley Cup run.
He’s also hoisted the Stanley Cup three times in 2009, 2016, and 2017 as well as being named to the All-Star Game seven times throughout his historic career. As of the end of last season, he’s logged a total of 1,213 NHL games with 514 goals and 832 assists, good for 1,346 points. In October 2024, Malkin became just the 48th player in NHL history to reach 500 career goals.
The timing of this potential farewell couldn’t be more intriguing from a betting perspective. The Penguins enter the season as one of the biggest long shots to win the Stanley Cup, listed at +28000, the fifth-longest odds in the league on FanDuel Sportsbook. Their roster remains in flux and leadership will look very different, with Dan Muse stepping behind the bench as Pittsburgh’s new head coach. Muse, known for his development acumen and detail-oriented approach, has been given long +3100 odds to win the Jack Adams Award as NHL Coach of the Year.
For bettors, the combination of Malkin’s likely final season and a new coaching regime introduces narrative-driven value. It wouldn’t be the first time a legendary player went out with a late-career surge that pulled a team beyond expectations.
If Muse can elevate the team’s structure and Malkin finds another gear for one last playoff push, even the longest odds can become tempting. Cash out oppurtunites are something we’ve looked at in the past and just a $10 bet on the Penguins would pay out around $2,800 to win the Cup which isn’t very likely.
However, Pittsburgh has proven in past seasons that experienced cores can catch fire and if they can manage to battle their way into a playoff spot like they looked like they were going to at times this season, we could get a massive cashout option towards the start of next years playoffs that could pay out a couple hundred dollars.
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