Pittsburgh Penguins legendary forward Evgeni Malkin is going into his age-39 season in 2025-26 after seeing his production dip a little bit this past season. 

He played in 68 games, finishing with 16 goals and 50 points. It was the first time he had missed games since the 2021-22 season when he compiled 20 goals and 42 points in 41 games. Outside of playing 117:38 with Sidney Crosby and Rickard Rakell on the top line, he spent the most amount of even-strength minutes with Michael Bunting and Cody Glass on his line. He played 83:58 with those two players before they got dealt around the trade deadline. 

Bunting had 14 goals and 29 points in 58 games for the Penguins before he was traded to the Nashville Predators as part of the Tommy Novak trade. Glass had four goals and 15 points for the Penguins before they dealt him to the New Jersey Devils. Malkin was getting and setting up chances in a lot of the Penguins' games, but some of the pucks weren't finding the back of the net. He was putting up a 60-point pace and would have easily cleared that threshold if more of those chances had gone in and if he hadn't missed 14 games. 

Malkin will have more help for the 2025-26 season, as Ville Koivunen demonstrated his capabilities during his brief NHL stint at the end of the 2024-25 season. He finished with seven points, all assists, in eight games. His vision and playmaking ability were on full display, especially when he and Malkin played together down the stretch.

They only played six games on the same line, but the early returns were solid. When they were on the ice together, they had 54.9% of the shot attempts, 52.5% of the expected goals, 55% of the scoring chances, and 60% of the high-danger chances. It would be in the best interest of new head coach Dan Muse to give them more time together once next season starts in October.  

The Penguins barely got to see any of Tommy Novak last season after they acquired him from the Predators. He only played in two games before being lost for the season after sustaining an injury against the Vegas Golden Knights on March 9. Despite being a center, Muse could move him to the wing to help Malkin out a bit since he has a good scoring touch and can carry the puck in transition. He is a career 15.2% shooter and had the best season of his career in 2023-24, finishing with 18 goals and 45 points in 71 games. He also sees the ice well and can thread the needle with some of his passes. 

Noval and Koivunen are just two of the options that the Penguins have at their disposal for Malkin. Assuming they keep Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust going into the season, one of them could be on Malkin's right wing. Rakell and Rust were both fantastic for the Penguins last season, scoring 30+ goals and compiling 60+ points. They both set career highs in goals and points and are both prevalent in trade rumors right now. Other teams would love to pry them off the team, but Penguins general manager and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas has set a high price on both. He will only trade one or both of them if he gets an offer that he can't turn down. 

Anthony Mantha could also get some time with Malkin after the Penguins signed him to a one-year deal on July 2. Mantha is recovering from a torn ACL after playing only 13 games for the Calgary Flames last season, but he has a history of being a solid scorer. Before tearing his ACL, he finished the 23-24 season with 23 goals and 44 points in 74 games.

 He is a three-time 20-goal scorer and could be a good flip candidate at the deadline, similar to Anthony Beauvillier last season. The Penguins signed Beauvillier when free agency opened in 2024 and gave him a lot of minutes in the top six before he was traded to the Washington Capitals for a second-round pick. He scored 13 goals in 63 games for the Penguins before re-signing with the Capitals for two years on July 3. 

Malkin is entering the final year of his current contract, but nobody knows if this will be his final NHL season. He may want to assess his progress halfway through the season or even closer to the end of the season before making that call. If Malkin gets some more help, he could be persuaded to return for another year, as Sidney Crosby, his longtime teammate and best friend, is signed through the 2026-27 season. 

(Data via Natural Stat Trick and Dobber's Frozen Tools). 

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