4 Way-Too-Early NHL Trade Landing Spots for Evgeni Malkin amid Rumors

Even though the Pittsburgh Penguins rebuild has been inevitable for a while now, and has really already been underway for more than a year, there was still always an expectation that their big-three of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang would still finish their careers in Pittsburgh.

They are not just three All-Star players that spent a lot of time in one city.

They are the longest-tenured trio to ever play for the same North American sports team and three-time Stanley Cup champions. In the cases of Crosby and Malkin, they are among the game's greatest all-time players.

But after three consecutive non-playoff seasons, and now that the rebuild is really in full swing, the whispers around potential trades of their big three are starting to get louder.

Crosby's agent, Pat Brisson, recently gave some legitimacy to the suggestion of him potentially finishing his career elsewhere, while Malkin recently made reference to Brad Marchand going from the Boston Bruins to the Florida Panthers and how that looked intriguing after Marchand won the Stanley Cup. He also followed that up by saying that if you do not win the Stanley Cup, it would just make the whole situation weird.

The most likely outcome to all of this is that Crosby and Malkin (and potentially Letang) all end up finishing their careers in Pittsburgh with no trade. Maybe they play long enough to make the playoffs again. Maybe they do not. But trades involving either seem like long shots and complicated.

Having said that, since Malkin planted the seed and didn't completely dismiss the idea of him playing elsewhere, let's just take a minute and try to figure out what his trade value might look like and where he might want to end up if he decided to chase another Stanley Cup elsewhere.

What Is Evgeni Malkin's Trade Value?

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The key aspect of this discussion for the Penguins is that unless Malkin approaches them and asks for a trade to a contender, there may not be much value in the Penguins actively wanting to move him.

The value is probably not going to be what anybody expects or wants.

For one, Malkin is 39 years old and has slowed down considerably more than Crosby has. His production has declined over the past two years, and while a lack of quality linemates has certainly contributed to this, he has also lost a step or two.

Malkin also has full no-trade protections and can control where he goes.

If he goes.

Those two things are going to severely limit the number of potential suitors, but also limit the return.

Just looking at some recent comparable examples where a team traded a long-time icon, the Philadelphia Flyers got Owen Tippett and a future first-round pick for Claude Giroux.

The Bruins received a conditional second-round pick for Marchand.

Both situations involved still quality players having full control over where they went. It would be a similar story for Malkin.

Trading him would not necessarily be for the betterment of a rebuild because the return would not be franchise-altering or franchise-changing.

It would really only happen if the player forced it.

So where could he potentially end up? It would likely only be a top-tier Stanley Cup contender where a championship would be within reach this season. It would also have to be a team that could use another potential difference-maker offensively, but could also complement him with strong defensive players to help make up for his shortcomings away from the puck. So let's take a look at some options.

Florida Panthers

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Why not start with the team and situation that opened this can of worms -- Florida?

If Malkin were to ever leave Pittsburgh, you can be sure it would only be to a team with a legitimate chance to win a Stanley Cup, and he specifically referenced the Brad Marchand-Florida Panthers situation as something that caught his attention.

The Panthers have been in the Stanley Cup Final for three consecutive years, won it in the past two years, and have a track record of making big in-season moves to add to their roster. That includes big-name players who were franchise players for other teams (Giroux, Marchand).

It would also be a great potential fit for Malkin if he wanted to go elsewhere in pursuit of another championship.

The Panthers are an obvious contender, and with their roster as it is, he would be able to slide into a more complementary role where he would not have to be one of the focal points of the offense. It would also be an ideal scenario for him to play alongside talented players. Even though he dropped down to 50 points during the 2024-25 season, his performance was noticeably better with linemates that could still come closer to matching his skill level, or linemates that were legitimate top-six options.

He did not always get that in Pittsburgh this past season. He would get that sort of talent around him here.

Tampa Bay Lightning

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The Lightning have hit a plateau in recent years following their own championship run, but they are still very much a playoff team.

They still have high-end talent at the top of the roster, but have needed more secondary-scoring depth. The fact that they are still a playoff team might be attractive, along with the team's heavy Russian presence, which includes forward Nikita Kucherov and starting goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, who remain among the team's best players.

The Lightning have lost in the first round three years in a row since their most recent Stanley Cup Final appearance, and are still pretty clearly trying to keep their championship window open for as long as Kucherov, Vasilevskiy, Victor Hedman, and Brayden Point are still playing at a high level. There is also some additional familiarity here for Malkin with his former long-time Penguins teammate, forward Jake Guentzel, who is now one of Tampa Bay's top forwards and scorers.

Dallas Stars

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It has to be all hands on deck for the Dallas Stars this season.

They have been one of the NHL's best teams for the past seven years and have consistently gone deep into the playoffs. They have reached the Western Conference Final three years in a row and four times in the past six years.

Since the start of the 2018-19 regular season, no team in the NHL has won more playoff games than the Stars' 54, but they are the only team in the top five in postseason wins that has not actually won a Stanley Cup during that time. There is a real Stanley Cup or bust mentality here this season. Or at least there should be.

The Stars do not really have a huge need at center, but Malkin could be capable of playing on the wing, and might even be best-suited for that at this point in his career.

Los Angeles Kings

The Kings should have a sense of urgency to make a big splash this season.

Despite making the playoffs for four consecutive years, they have not been able to advance past the first round, suffering four consecutive first-round losses to the Edmonton Oilers. That alone should be increasing their sense of urgency to do more. However, there is now another layer to this season, as it marks the final year of Anze Kopitar's career in the NHL, before he retires at the end of the season.

He has already won two Stanley Cups in his career, but the Kings are obviously going to want to send him out on top -- or as close to it as they can get -- and are going to need to add more offense to help get there.

For all the things the Kings do well, especially defensively, they are still only a middle-of-the-pack team offensively and did not do nearly enough this offseason to address that. The one big forward addition they did make -- Corey Perry -- is going to be sidelined for a bit, and when healthy, he is not somebody at this stage of his career who is going to make a huge difference.

Even though Malkin has not been the MVP-level player he's been throughout his career and his prime, he still has plenty of juice when paired with legitimate top-six talent. He may still have something to offer a team like the Kings that could help them break through to the next level of the playoffs and get closer to a championship.