The main question on the minds of Pittsburgh Penguins fans everywhere was the status of longtime forward and future Hall of Fame forward Evgeni Malkin, who entered unrestricted free agency and appeared to potentially be on the verge of a departure from town.
However, the Penguins managed to re-sign Malkin to a one-year contract extension, ensuring that he’ll spend at least one more season with the club that drafted him with the second overall pick in the 2004 NHL Draft.
But what does the future hold beyond this year for Malkin, along with fellow aging veteran Erik Karlsson? According to a new report, it wouldn’t be surprising to see one or both of them leave the organization – not through a trade, but through an up coming NHL Expansion Draft.
Could The Pittsburgh Penguins Leave Evgeni Malkin And Erik Karlsson Exposed In A New NHL Expansion Draft?
Both Erik Karlsson and Evgeni Malkin will be unrestricted free agents after the upcoming NHL season, meaning they could be potentially exposed by the Penguins if there is an expansion Draft for what would be a 33rd NHL club.
Per NHL Insiders Shayna Goldman and Dom Luszczyszyn, the Penguins have “leeway” to expose both Malkin and Karlsson in a potential NHL Expansion Draft because of their pending UFA status next summer.
“That NMC rule only applies to players signed through the following season. So a pending UFA like Evgeni Malkin gets exposed, in favor of some younger forwards like Rutger McGroarty and Thomas Novak. Erik Karlsson showed he’s still got it this past year, but the Penguins have the leeway to expose him too, since he’s a free agent.”
It’s no secret that the NHL wants additional clubs, and have been eying expansion for some time now, with Houston and Austin being formally considered.
The Penguins Re-Signed Evgeni Malkin To A One-Year Extension
Penguins GM Kyle Dubas was able to sign Malkin to a one-year, $5.5 million extension, keeping him around for another season.
“He’s a special player,” Dubas said. “To me, I thought the key thing this year was, he started off the year excellent. Had a new-found energy. Got hurt in December, and he came back from that in a great spot. And, unfortunately, the suspension, we don’t have to delve into that. But he was suspended, and when he was back from the suspension, he came back again with renewed energy.
“I just think it’s a natural course. Sid is Sid. I think he’s in a separate category. I tend to put Kris in that as well. There’s the genetics and there’s the physiology that go with it, and I think those two are in a different bucket in terms of their bodies. ‘Geno’ is built differently, and I thought that the different times off served him well, and so I think we were fortunate in that regard. I don’t think you could feel that in the air at the time. You thought, geez, he’s out. That stinks. But every time he came back from being out, he played his best hockey, we feel.
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