Examining the Penguins’ Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang situation

Ron Hextall has only been on the job in Pittsburgh for a little more than a year-and-a-half and he is already facing one of the biggest offseasons in franchise history.

Not only are the Penguins coming off a fourth consecutive First Round exit, this time losing a 3-1 series lead to the New York Rangers, but two of the biggest players in franchise history — center Evgeni Malkin and defenseman Kris Letang — are just weeks away from potentially reaching unrestricted free agency where they could end up playing for new teams.

These are not just run of the mill players, or even long-time players. They are franchise icons. Malkin and Letang have been two of the top-three players for the franchise’s greatest run of sustained success, resulting in five Conference Finals appearances, four Stanley Cup Final appearances, and three championships, all while being among the best in the world at their respective positions.

They are core players and Hall of Famers.

For the longest time it seemed like an easy call that they would finish their careers in Pittsburgh alongside the third member of that core, center and team captain Sidney Crosby. That no longer seems to be a given as free agency looms around the corner and no new contracts have been signed for Malkin and Letang. The Penguins keep saying all of the right things about wanting to keep both, but it is ultimately going to come down to price, term, and how much faith Hextall, Brian Burke, and the rest of the franchise have in them continuing to be top players for at least the next few years.

On one hand, they are going to be 36 (Malkin) and 35 (Letang) when the 2022-23 season begins in October, and that would only be year one of long-term contracts. They are both still excellent