Evgeni Malkin hasn’t had any talks about playing beyond next season
Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Evgeni Malkin has a year left on his contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins. There has been speculation if it will be hos final year with the Penguins and/or in the NHL.
A source with direct knowledge of what has been going on said that there hasn’t been any decision made by Malkin or by the team. There was pushback on the idea that the Penguins would be pushing him towards the door.
Someone in Malkin’s camp said that there hasn’t been any talk from Malkin’s side if he wants to play beyond this season or not.
Malkin put up 16 goals and 34 assists for 50 points in 68 games. It’s well documented that the Penguins are looking to get younger beyond next season, and there is no guarantee that there would be another contract and roster spot for Malkin.
NHL Rumors: Florida Panthers, and the Toronto Maple Leafs
LA Kings GM on a couple UFAs, trades, and Anze Kopitar
Jimmy Murphy of RG.org: An interview with Los Angeles Kings GM Ken Holland.
Holland said that he’s held talks with the agents for pending UFAs Vladislav Gavrikov and Andrei Kuzmenko.
Draft week is when Holland expects trades to start happening as teams have had enough time to talk to their pending free agents.
“So what’s the deadline for free agency? July 1 is the deadline. If you want to make a trade, usually trades happen leading into or at the NHL Entry Draft, and even coming out right before July 1. Why? Because you want to know exactly what you want to and can do on July 1.”
Anze Kopitar is entering the final year of his contract. Holland did meet with Kopitar after he was hired, but talks were about the team and not a contract. Contract talks are expected closer to training camp.
NHL Rumors: Lightning, Sabres, Maple Leafs, and Kings
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