Malkin Eyes Playoffs, Mentorship, and Milestones

Before Sergei Murashov left for the Prospects Challenge last week, he talked about getting to meet Evgeni Malkin for the first time.

Though it was a simple encounter, the goaltending prospect was grinning ear-to-ear recounting the interaction. One area of focus for Malkin in his 19^th NHL season is to facilitate more moments like that with younger players, particularly his Russian countrymen like Murashov and Vasily Ponomarev.

“(I want to) try to show leadership a little bit more,” Malkin said. “I have great experience, I’m an older guy on this team. Now that there’s a couple of Russian guys here, young guys, build leadership in the locker room. I think it's good for me to start doing it a little bit better in the locker room, talk to guys, help the coaches. This is what I can do. And again, I feel pretty good on ice as well. I'm still hungry. I still want to win every game.”

At 38 years old, Malkin is now the oldest player on the Penguins roster following Jeff Carter’s retirement, though “I do not feel like I’m an older guy in here!” His quick wit is sharp as ever, with Mike Sullivan calling ‘Geno’ one of the funnier guys in the room, and someone who lets his teammates and the coaching staff know his personality.

That goes for the media as well, with Malkin quipping to reporters that another objective heading into the season with 498 career tallies is, “score two goals! Next two games, not preseason, regular season!”

But for as much as Malkin has accomplished in his career, with 500 goals the next milestone on the horizon, he’s not looking to quietly ride into the sunset alongside Kris Letang and the recently-extended Sidney Crosby.

“We don’t want to be here just playing. We want to be here and win,” Malkin said. “It’s better for the team, better for the organization. Our GM Kyle (Dubas), he did a great job this summer. He tried to change the team a little bit. I don't want to be here the next two years just to like, play my game, score 500 goals, and do nothing after. I want to be here to win.

“My goal this summer and this season is to help the team to make playoffs, for sure. I don’t want to be on the outside of the playoffs. I think Sid thinks the same way, Tanger as well.”

Sullivan said Malkin looks strong on the ice while preparing to do just that, praising the work he put in over the offseason after a year where he finished second on the team with 67 points, and third with 28 goals.

“To continue to play at an elite level like he has shown is just a huge credit to him and how hard he works,” Sullivan said. “I think it stems from his love for hockey and his passion for the game.”

That’s evident in how Malkin celebrates goals in training camp with the same enthusiasm he reserves for an overtime winner or playoff tally.

“We have a long summer, so I’m excited to be back and see everybody here,” he said. “Like, my personality, it's win every game. It’s what I do all my life. Last two seasons, it's not fun. When you lose, when you do not make playoffs, it’s not great for the city, not great for fans, because we have amazing fans. They support us so well. Here, the whole leadership – me, Sid, Tanger – we want to win every game.

“It’s so funny, when me and Sid play 82 games, we miss playoffs. Maybe I missed one game this year (laughs). We don’t want a long summer. We want to play in playoffs. Any team can win playoffs and Stanley Cup. But again, long season for sure, and I'm excited to be back.”