Evgeni Malkin, Penguins Agree to Contract for 2026-27 NHL Season, Full Details Revealed

Evgeni Malkin is returning for what could be a final season with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Malkin and the Penguins have agreed to a one-year, $5.5 million contract that will bring him back to Pittsburgh for his age-40 season, the team announced Tuesday.

The deal features hefty bonuses, including $500,000 in games played bonuses and at least $1 million if the Penguins make a playoff run, per TSN's Chris Johnston.

The contract also includes a no-movement clause.

Malkin hit free agency this offseason after bouncing back from a relatively low-scoring campaign to record a point-per-game season for the Penguins.

After making the switch from center to wing, Malkin posted 19 goals and 42 assists for 61 points in 56 games to help the Penguins reach the playoffs for the first time in four years.

Malkin added two goals and an assist in six playoff games before the Penguins were eliminated from the first round.

He told reporters after that Game 6 elimination that he wanted to return to Pittsburgh, but would play for another team should the Penguins not make him an offer.

General manager Kyle Dubas then said after his exit interview with Malkin that the Penguins "would love to have him back."

Dubas added in May he doesn't feel the Malkin was blocking any younger Penguins forwards from making it into the lineup.

The Penguins had room for Malkin's new deal after heading into the offseason as one of the teams with the most salary cap in the NHL, per PuckPedia.

At least for now, the Penguins will remain one of the oldest teams in the NHL with four stars age 35 or older in Malkin, Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson.

The new contract could set Malkin on track to finish out his career with the franchise that drafted him in 2004 and set him up to debut alongside Crosby in 2006.

Malkin went on to play a key roles in the Penguins' 2008 trip to the Stanley Cup Final before winning the Conn Smythe Trophy for leading the team to the 2009 championship. He starred again when the Penguins won back-to-back Cups in 2016 and 2017.

He won two Art Ross Trophies and lifted the 2012 Hart Trophy on his way to ranking second behind only Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin for the all-time lead in points by a Russian-born NHL player.

Malkin currently ranks third behind Mario Lemieux and Crosby for the franchise lead in goals, assists and points, as well as second only to Crosby with 1,269 games played in black and gold.

He will join Crosby in serving as a veteran anchors of the Penguins' top six amid the potential departures of free agents including Anthony Mantha this summer.

Both Malkin and Crosby will now hope Dubas' ongoing retool can progress quickly enough to give both veterans one last shot at another playoff run before the end of their Penguins careers.