Kyle Dubas tried to calm speculation surrounding Evgeni Malkin after the Pittsburgh Penguins were eliminated from the playoffs.

The biggest topic around the Penguins locker room during cleanout day was Evgeni Malkin’s future. When asked for his opinion that afternoon, Bryan Rust laughed and replied, “All I'm going to say about that is,

Pittsburgh general manager Kyle Dubas met with the media on Tuesday for his annual end of season press conference. We’ll have more on the entire message later, the big question and the first one asked of Dubas was about the status of Evgeni Malkin.

Pittsburgh Penguins president/GM Kyle Dubas hints that franchise player and pending UFA Evgeni Malkin will return for next season.

Evgeni Malkin entered the 2025-26 season, the final campaign of the four-year deal he signed in 2022, with an excellent mindset. His focus was on trying to play his best, and enjoying every day. Malkin understood that it could be his last year with the Penguins,

The Pittsburgh Penguins haven’t won a playoff series since eliminating their in-state rival, the Philadelphia Flyers, in 2018. In 2026, those same Flyers eliminated them from the playoffs in six games.

Minnesota conversation started up in speculation in January, when Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos reported that Minnesota Wild GM Bill Guerin was “laying low in the weeds, looking to make another significant trade,