Trading Evgeni Malkin would be a terrible idea for the Pittsburgh Penguins

According to multiple reports, the Pittsburgh Penguins could be making some huge changes this summer. Trading Evgeni Malkin is reportedly on the table. Here’s why it should be taken off the table immediately.

For the first time since the 2014-15 season, the Pittsburgh Penguins underachieved in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, losing in four games to the New York Islanders in the first round. Last year, one could chalk up their loss to the Washington Capitals to simply being exhausted and fatigued from two extended Stanley Cup runs. But this year they didn’t have that excuse.

When a team as talented as the Penguins underachieves, you can bet there will be changes. The last time they underachieved (2014-15), they traded for Phil Kessel. Even last year when the Penguins fell short of their goal of a three-peat, they signed defenseman Jack Johnson.

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According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, this summer’s changes could be significant. And they could involve Evgeni Malkin.

"According to sources within the organization, they’re undergoing a deep process of fact-finding and soul-searching, attempting to chart the course of the next few years — with almost every available option on the table.That, the sources said, includes the possibility of trading key pieces such as Malkin, Kris Letang and Phil Kessel, and — to be fair — also includes standing pat, if that’s what the decision-makers deem the best direction to go."

The mere fact the Russian star is anything more than untouchable is pretty significant news. For years, the Penguins’ calling card has been having two of the best centers in the NHL – Sidney Crosby and Malkin. It has gotten them three Stanley Cups and an additional Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2008.

Crosby, for obvious reasons, has always gotten the spotlight. He’s cerebral, he’s cool under pressure, and he has one of the most impressive resumes in NHL history. If Crosby is “yin”, Malkin has been the “yang”. He plays with an extra nasty edge you rarely see from Crosby. Malkin is emotional, but he often uses those emotions to take over games. If you hit him, he’ll try to make it a point to not just hit you back harder, but also score on you.

Moving on from Malkin would signify the end of an era in Pittsburgh. A very successful era. The kind of era teams would sell their souls to have. It would also be incredibly unwise. Let’s take a look at why Malkin is too important to the Penguins to trade.

All-In To Win

One can assume Pittsburgh should be trying to milk everything out of their current core. Because once Crosby and Malkin are gone, it could be a very long time before they see a 12-year span with this much success. So why would you trade either of them if you’re trying to win another Stanley Cup?

If the Penguins could somehow upgrade over Malkin, sure, do it. But how many guys out there would be an upgrade? Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon is a good start. Maybe someone like Nikita Kucherov or Auston Matthews. Possibly Aleksander Barkov. But yeah, that’s about it. Which brings us to the main issue.

You’re Not Getting Fair Value For Malkin

When he’s right, Malkin is one of the top five centers in the NHL. Maybe even one of the top three. Even when Malkin’s wrong (like he was this season), he averaged over a point per game and scored 20 goals. His worst is better than most players’ best.

Selling low is never a good idea. That’s the first step in losing trades as a general manager. It feels odd to say this about someone who had 72 points in 68 games this season and has over 1,000 points, but trading him now would be selling low.

Malkin’s contract would negatively affect his return. At $9.5 million, he’s a steal. However, in a league with a salary cap, not every team can afford that cap hit. This immediately narrows the list of suitors for Malkin quite a bit. Also, he has a no-movement clause in his contract, which means he could hand pick where he goes.

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The Penguins do need to make some changes. That much is true. However, they’d be wise to consider what they did in 2014-15. Did the Penguins blow up their core of Crosby, Malkin, and Kris Letang after a first-round exit? Nope. In fact, they added to their core by acquiring Kessel. The Penguins shouldn’t be subtracting from their core. If anything, they should be trying to add to it.

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