The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed veteran forward Evgeni Malkin to a one-year contract extension that will keep him in Pittsburgh through the 2026-27 NHL season. The agreement carries an average annual value of $5.5 million, according to the team’s announcement from President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Kyle Dubas.
Malkin, now 39, has spent his entire 20-season NHL career with the Penguins after being selected by the club with the second overall pick in the 2004 NHL Draft. He remains one of the most decorated players in franchise history and one of the most productive Russian-born players the league has ever seen.
A three-time Stanley Cup champion in 2009, 2016 and 2017, Malkin ranks near the top of nearly every major statistical category in Penguins history. Through 1,269 regular-season games, he stands second in games played and third in goals, assists, points, power-play goals, game-winning goals and overtime goals. Only Sidney Crosby has played more seasons in a Penguins sweater.
Malkin’s individual resume includes two Art Ross Trophies, won as the NHL’s scoring leader in 2009 and 2012, along with the Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award in 2012, the Calder Trophy in 2007 and the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2009. He was also voted Penguins Team MVP by teammates five times. In 2024, he became the 48th player in NHL history to score 500 career goals.
His playoff record has been central to Pittsburgh’s championship success. During the Penguins’ 2009 Stanley Cup run, Malkin earned the Conn Smythe Trophy after leading the NHL with 36 postseason points. He later paced the league in playoff scoring again in 2017 with 28 points as Pittsburgh captured its third title of his career. Overall, he has 183 points in 183 playoff games, ranking 12th all time in NHL postseason scoring and second in Penguins playoff points behind Crosby.
Malkin is also one of the NHL’s rarest high-end scorers. He is among only 40 players in league history to record at least three 100-point seasons and one of just eight active players to do so. Since entering the NHL in 2006-07, he has ranked among the league leaders in goals, assists and total points, while maintaining a point-per-game pace or better in 16 of his 20 seasons.
Internationally, Malkin has represented Russia in three Olympic Winter Games, eight World Championships, three World Junior Championships, two World Under-18 Junior Championships and the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. His longevity, production and championship pedigree have made him one of the defining figures of the Penguins’ modern era and one of the most accomplished players of his generation.
