NHL.com’s Penguins preview centers on Evgeni Malkin’s role as possible late-career spark

’s annual summer preview spotlighted three questions for the Pittsburgh Penguins, using the offseason moment to frame what Pittsburgh will need most once games matter again. Among the most prominent themes was how Evgeni Malkin performs in what framed as a potential final season, and whether the version of him that reasserted himself last year can remain a dependable driver over a full campaign.

The case for optimism, as presented in the preview, is that Malkin showed real bounce in his 20th NHL season. According to the Yahoo Sports summary of ’s notes, he posted 61 points last season, a figure that suggests Pittsburgh got more than just veteran minutes, it got meaningful offensive production from a forward who has carried different burdens at different points across his career.

That matters for a Penguins team that must blend urgency with sustainability. A high-end scorer can change the texture of games, but in the late stages of a long season, teams also need stability across role players, consistent defensive starts, and reliable special-teams execution. ’s focus on whether Malkin can “shine in his potential final season” ties into the broader question of whether Pittsburgh can convert star-level flashes into repeatable results, especially when opponents tighten their matchups.

The preview’s structure also indicates how Pittsburgh’s offseason story may be read by fans and analysts this year. did not treat Malkin’s storyline as isolated. Instead, it put him alongside two other open issues for the Penguins, questions that will likely revolve around how the team balances short-term performance with longer-term roster identity. While those other questions are not detailed in the Yahoo summary, the framing itself is clear: the Penguins are being judged not only by talent, but by how that talent functions under the pressure of a season’s most demanding weeks.

For Malkin specifically, the key watch point is whether the production from last year can be sustained without becoming a one-month phenomenon. Resurgence seasons are valuable, but the Penguins will be measuring impact by durability. If Pittsburgh can keep Malkin as a consistent offense generator while he plays through the grind of a full schedule, his presence could shape line matchups and power-play roles, and it could also change how younger pieces are used around him.

As the season gets closer, the question is less about whether Malkin can still play, and more about whether the Penguins can build a framework that lets him do what he did last year often enough. ’s preview set that up with its first question, and it establishes a clear early storyline: Pittsburgh will be looking to see whether Malkin’s 61-point resurgence in his 20th NHL season becomes the kind of late-career chapter that carries a team through its toughest stretches.