Apr 27, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin (71) skates up ice with the puck against the Philadelphia Flyers during the third period in game five of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Apr 27, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin (71) skates up ice with the puck against the Philadelphia Flyers during the third period in game five of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Evgeni Malkin, 39, has been with the Pittsburgh Penguins since 2006, and from his recent contract, not much is changing. The Russian center signed a one-year contract worth $5.5m with the Penguins and took to social media to confirm the big news on Tuesday, May 26.
Before committing to his 21st straight season with the Penguins, Malkin was slated to be an unrestricted free agent on July 1 of this year. He will wear the black and gold once again in the upcoming 2026-27 season of the NHL alongside fellow 'Big Three' core team members Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang.
Malkin took to his official Instagram account to share a picture of himself smiling with a signed contract to continue playing in Pittsburgh for one more season.
He captioned the post, “Were you worried? Always a 🐧.”
The Russian is staying with the Penguins after delivering some of his best returns in the 2025-26 season. Despite missing a lot of action due to injury, he played 56 regular-season games, scoring 61 points (19G / 42A) for 1.08 points per game (PPG).
This was Malkin’s first PPG of more than one for Pittsburgh in three seasons.
It ultimately led to the Penguins making the playoffs for the first time after three seasons. But they lost to the state rival Philadelphia Flyers in six games in the Eastern Conference first-round playoff series earlier this year.
Malkin managed to score three points (2G / 1A) in those six playoff games against the Flyers.
Evgeni Malkin’s Achievements with the Pittsburgh Penguins
Malkin was the second overall pick in the 2004 NHL draft by the Penguins, but it took him over two years to make his debut. In his first season, during the 2006-07 campaign, he won the Calder Memorial Trophy for becoming the NHL Rookie of the Year.
Malkin won the Stanley Cup for the first time in his career in 2009 with the Penguins after an incredible 2008-09 season on an individual level.
He won the Conn Smythe Trophy for the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs after scoring 36 points (14G / 22A) in 24 games. During the regular season, the Russian clinched the Art Ross Trophy for most points, scoring 113 points (35G / 78A) in 82 games.
In 2012, Malkin earned the Art Ross Trophy for the second time in his career after scoring 109 points (50G / 59A) in 75 regular-season games. He was also awarded the Hart Memorial Trophy and Ted Lindsay Trophy in the same season.
During the Penguins’ back-to-back Stanley Cup victories in 2016 and 2017, Malkin was one of their key performers alongside Crosby and Letang.
In the years after that, he continued to feature in the NHL Playoffs before the Penguins' 16-season playoff streak was broken in the 2022-23 campaign.
Do you think Evgeni Malkin takes the Pittsburgh Penguins to the playoffs in the upcoming 2026-27 season? Let us know in the comments.
Written by
Arjun Sharma
Edited by
Surjo Ray