The Pittsburgh Penguins have a big-time decision to make over the summer. Franchise legend Evgeni Malkin does not have a contract for next year, and while Malkin has said he wants to stay, the Penguins have indicated in the past that they may be reluctant to extend the soon-to-be 40-year-old forward.
If the team does have trouble coming to terms with Malkin or outright decides not to offer him a new deal, one former Penguins player and teammate of Malkin, Tyler Kennedy, believes he knows where Malkin may end up: the Washington Capitals. Kennedy spoke about his theory on Pittsburgh’s 93.7 The Fan after the Penguins were eliminated from the playoffs in the first round by the Philadelphia Flyers.
“I don’t know what he’s looking for price-wise, but I’m telling you right now, you can’t let Malkin walk,” Kennedy said. “You know where he’s going to go, boys? He’s going to the Washington Capitals. He’s very close with Ovechkin. I think Ovechkin’s coming back, and if they don’t sign Malkin, who do you think his first call is going to be? He’s going to the Washington Capitals to play with Ovechkin in his last year. That’s the last thing I want to see, the last thing the Pittsburgh Penguins want to see.”
The 2025-26 campaign was Malkin’s 20th with the Penguins, and he rebounded from a down 2024-25 season to record 61 points (19g, 42a) in 56 games for a Pittsburgh team that finished second in the Metropolitan Division. However, before qualifying for the postseason, the Penguins had seemingly committed to a rebuild, so it’s unclear if Malkin has played his way back into their future plans.
Malkin has repeatedly stated he does not want to play for any other NHL team than the Penguins, but if he’s not welcomed back, uniting with Ovechkin may be the most attractive next option. The veteran pivot has formed a great friendship with Ovechkin, his one-time bitter rival, which has particularly blossomed as the two have gotten older.
“I just see the last two games they played against Washington, you see Malkin at Ovi’s house,” Kennedy said. “They’re extremely close. They’re countrymen. They’ve become very close over the years. You hear Malkin talk about Ovi and how he still has gas left in the tank. I think he would probably want to play with a guy that he’s competed with his whole life, and now they have an opportunity to maybe end their careers on the same team, both Russian guys.
“I think that’s an opportunity Malkin would probably take. Knowing Sid, I don’t think he’s going to let that happen. It’s just how much does Geno want to sign for? Is he willing to play third, fourth-line minutes? Because we do need to turn the page. We do need other guys getting bigger minutes, and that means Evgeni Malkin has to take a little bit of a back seat. If he understands that, yeah, I’m very happy having him back.”
Ovechkin has previously spoken about the potential of playing with Malkin on the Capitals, saying last year that it would be “wonderful.” The two have teamed up at the national team level for Russia, but never played on the same professional club.
The Capitals are set to have a ton of cap space this summer and a desire to add a top-six forward. However, Malkin doesn’t exactly fit the age profile they’re likely to target, but he may represent an opportunity too good to pass up if he truly does become available in July.
