Penguins legends Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are desperately racing a ticking clock – The Athletic

PITTSBURGH — It’s not about winning another Stanley Cup together. They’ve been there, done that, and at this stage, it’s not reasonable.

For Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, this is about something bigger. Call it a final act, call it a legacy. On some level, call it defiance, because that’s what it feels like.

It’s about going out on their own terms, whenever that time comes.

Crosby and Malkin aren’t just a couple of iconic hockey players; they’re also highly intelligent. They see what’s going on. Slowly but surely, the Pittsburgh Penguins are rebuilding, getting younger and, more than anything, changing. In their most honest moments, Crosby, who’s 38, and Malkin, 39, will acknowledge that Kyle Dubas has made many good decisions as the Penguins’ general manager/president and that getting younger was necessary. It’s not that they disagree with Dubas’ thinking. How could anyone? But that doesn’t mean they have to like the team’s trajectory.

For the first time, one of the star players — Malkin — seems to feel like his days in Pittsburgh are numbered, because they probably are.

When Malkin talks to the media these days, he often references the possibility that this could be his final season. The Penguins haven’t offered him a new contract, and his current one expires in seven months. He has spoken openly about it several times since the beginning of training camp. He comes across as being somewhat understanding of the situation, given his age, but he also seems a little hurt.

One by one over the years, Crosby and Malkin have been forced to say goodbye to so many of their favorite teammates. Sometimes, the salary cap was to blame. Other times, it was due to age. Or trades. Or free agency. On other occasions, it was just time.

Giant names of Penguins past have come and gone during the Sid and Geno era: Max Talbot. Jordan Staal. Marc-Andre Fleury. Jake Guentzel. Patric Hornqvist. Matt Murray. Brian Dumoulin. Chris Kunitz. Pascal Dupuis.

At some point this season, Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell could follow.

As one after another left Pittsburgh, Crosby and Malkin were reminded that this is an often-cold business. However, the Penguins were always built around those two, so even amid occasional discontent, there was always a sense of comfort. That’s no longer the case, especially for Malkin. Sure, he’s still the Penguins’ No. 2 center, but he’s not part of the future and perhaps not even the short-term future. He knows it, and so does Crosby.

As a result, the Penguins’ legends are playing with — and speaking with — an edge right now. They don’t intend their final days together in a Penguins uniform, if that is the case, to be a disappointment, or more of the same, or a tank job for Gavin McKenna.

More than a year ago, I asked Malkin if he could retire without ever reaching the postseason again. He said no.

“Would hurt too much,” he said, expressing that he didn’t want his last taste of playoff hockey to have come in 2022 at Madison Square Garden — in overtime of Game 7, no less.

What can Crosby and Malkin do here?

Crosby still has power because he’s Crosby, for one. He’s the team captain, for another. And his play hasn’t really diminished at all. If Dubas were to build a juggernaut in the next few years, it’s reasonable to assume that Crosby would still be thriving as a top-six center because he’s built a little differently than anyone else.

This isn’t only about Crosby, though. It’s about Sid and Geno together.

Malkin doesn’t have much power left. If indeed the Penguins feel it’s time to move on following this season, they will. Crosby surely wouldn’t like it, but Dubas isn’t afraid to upset him. You can’t blame him for that, because he was hired to build the team in his vision.

Team sources have told me that because he loves playing for the Penguins and isn’t ready to be shown the door, Malkin would stick around for less money and a lesser role. However, times change, and the Penguins have to go younger.

Therefore, the duo doesn’t have as much leverage as you’d think, but the Vancouver Canucks are in town Tuesday night. Then, the Penguins travel to Florida and then back home to face Columbus. This is where Crosby and, more so, Malkin, still have power, on the ice.

It’s wildly unlikely that these Penguins will make the playoffs. Sure, they’re 4-2 and have been better than anticipated in the first six games, but it’s only six games. They could lose their next five in a row, and no one would be shocked. Of course, you never know.

Crosby is off to a slightly slow start, but in his mid-to-late 30s, Crosby hasn’t tended to get hot until the holiday season. Malkin has been a revelation early this season, putting up nine points in six games. He won’t maintain that pace, and he faded badly in the second half of last season, but maybe he has one final push left in him.

Crosby and Malkin know this could be it. Their final season together. The end. They aren’t invested in tanking. Rebuilds aren’t their thing. If you look at the schedule, you’ll note that the final game of the season is in St. Louis on April 14. The two games before that are against the Washington Capitals.

Do you think Malkin wants his last NHL game to be on a Tuesday night in St. Louis? Worse yet, do you think Malkin wants his final two games to come against Alex Ovechkin, who very well could be preparing for another trip to the postseason with the resurgent Capitals?

Nah, I didn’t think so, either.

The Penguins’ roster is flawed and in transition. They’re projected to be one of the NHL’s worst teams this season. Perhaps that will come to fruition.

Their strong start to the season, though, has been impressive, and Malkin has led the way. When we think of Crosby and Malkin together, and all of their glorious moments, we immediately think of the playoffs — those spring nights in Pittsburgh when they lifted the organization to a place it had never been.

This team is years away from going on a Stanley Cup run. Let’s not be foolish. But the two men most responsible for the golden era of Penguins hockey would like to author their own conclusion together, and reaching the playoffs one final time is their prize.

Can they pull it off? The odds are against them. But we know they’re going to try, and we’ll be watching, as always.