Kris Letang, Penguins Nearing New Contract; PIT 'Still Working' with Evgeni Malkin

The Pittsburgh Penguins are hoping to retain unrestricted free agents Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin this summer, and it appears the franchise is inching closer to a deal for at least one of them.

Penguins general manager Ron Hextall told reporters Wednesday that he hopes a contract will be finalized soon with Letang but that he was "still working" on a deal with Malkin.

It's unclear what type of deal each player is seeking. However, The Athletic's Rob Rossi reported on 93.7 The Fan in May (via The Fan's Andrew Fillipponi) that the Penguins offered Letang and Malkin separate three-year, $15 million pacts, which did not please captain Sidney Crosby.

That said, Malkin told reporters then that he wanted to finish his career with Pittsburgh.

"I love this city and I love these fans so much," Malkin said. "If this team wants new blood and young guys and they say to me to move on, we will see. ... I believe in my agent and I trust him. I want to stay here. I want to play in the NHL. ... I hope I stay here. I hope I retire here."

Hextall echoed those remarks a week later, expressing a desire to lock up both players.

"We have had discussions very recently and will continue those. We would like to sign both players," Hextall said, "We'd like to keep Geno as a Pittsburgh Penguin for the rest of his career; Tanger is the same."

The Penguins have $21.4 million in salary-cap space, per CapFriendly, which should be enough to re-sign both players. However, they also need to re-sign restricted free agents Danton Heinen and Kasperi Kapanen in addition to unrestricted free agents Rickard Rakell and Evan Rodrigues, among others.

Malkin has spent his career with the Penguins after being selected second overall in the 2004 draft. He made his debut in 2006 and has been a staple in the lineup ever since, tallying 444 goals and 702 assists for 1,146 points in 981 games across 16 seasons.

The center has helped the Penguins win three Stanley Cups and has also won a number of individual honors, including the Ted Lindsay Award, Art Ross Trophy (twice) and Hart Memorial Trophy.

Letang has also spent his career with Pittsburgh after the franchise selected him in the third round of the 2005 draft. He made his debut in 2006 and has 144 goals and 506 assists in 941 games across 16 seasons.

The 35-year-old was also a member of Pittsburgh's championship teams and has been named an All-Star twice. He reiterated his desire to stay with the Penguins in May as well.

"I certainly [tried] to help build something good here and obviously want to keep it going," Letang told reporters.

Free agency begins at noon ET July 13. Before that, teams will be focused on the draft, which is slated to begin Thursday with the first round.