The Pittsburgh Penguins announced that they signed pending-UFA Kris Letang to a retirement contract on Thursday. Letang’s deal will net the 35-year-old rearguard $6.1 million per season over the next six years.

One player that was particularly happy about Tanger’s new contract was Evgeni Malkin.

Though Geno didn’t seem particularly optimistic they’d remain teammates.

In the comments of the post, Malkin joked about his own pending unrestricted free agency.

Malkin then campaigned for another teammate to get a deal done next.

There was some uncertainty on how new ownership might affect the direction of the Penguins this summer. But with the team giving six-year deals to both Letang and Bryan Rust, the organization is clearly putting off a rebuild for now, meaning they will likely try to aggressively re-sign Malkin too. If the 35-year-old Russian centerman decides to come back, the Penguins’ core that we all know and love will be secure through the 2024-25 season when Sidney Crosby’s deal expires.

If not, I personally cannot wait to experience the awkwardness of Malkin checking Letang and Sid too in games while rocking a new uniform. (And maybe a red one!)

Photo: @penguins/Twitter