Malkin won't show up: the legendary hockey player won't go to Magnitogorsk and will stay in Pittsburgh

Vegas confidently reached the Stanley Cup finals following the results of the series with Colorado (4-0), although it was the Avalanche who were considered favorites not only of this pair, but of the entire Stanley Cup. In the second semi-final, Carolina leads 2-1 in the series with Montreal. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh has signed a new one-year contract with its legendary forward Evgeni Malkin. Read more about these events in the Izvestia article.

Solid bonuses

Evgeni Malkin's thoughts on the future did not last long. Immediately after Pittsburgh's departure in the first round of the playoffs, the club legend hinted that he was not going to return to Russia, where Metallurg was always waiting for the most decorated pupil, and would like to stay in the team. The Penguins have been rebuilding in recent years: the squad is rejuvenating, and a new head coach, Dan Muse, has been appointed. Already in his first season, he led the team to the playoffs. However, all these processes, familiar to the modern NHL, are combined with incredible respect for veterans. You won't find such an attitude in any other organization, where the club's legends are ready to be exchanged even without their prior consent.

Pittsburgh also showed maximum respect for Malkin. Evgeny remains in the team for another year. The Russian signed a new contract with Caphit for $5.5 million. A veteran can also receive substantial bonuses: $500,000 for a certain number of matches played, a million for the Penguins to make the playoffs, and $500,000 for each cup round.

This is probably Gino's last agreement (as American fans call him), not only in the NHL, but throughout his professional career. Even though Malkin had a phenomenal last season for his age. If not for the injury, he could have competed with Sidney Crosby for the lead among the team's scorers. However, even without this, the Russian's statistics are impressive: 61 (19+42) points in 56 matches.

The leadership of Pence continues to believe in the age-old leadership backbone, which transmits the club traditions to the youth. Malkin is a great friend of Crosby's, and the Canadian legend's opinion carries a lot of weight in the organization. It is possible that Crosby also influenced the decision on Gino: if not directly, then at least indirectly, by supporting the idea of extending their story together for another season.

In the last regular season, Pittsburgh confidently reached the playoffs. For a team with an NHL debutant coach, such a result can be considered a success. During the season, the Penguins pulled off several strong deals that strengthened the squad. Egor Chinakhov was traded from Columbus, who managed to restart his career in a new team. We also broke up with the long-suffering goalkeeper Tristan Jarry. However, the search for a new leader to replace Malkin in the club has apparently been postponed for now. Evgeny's new contract is not just a gesture of goodwill, but also a responsibility, as well as a direct hint that the Russian will retain his place in the top 6. Not in the center, where he was removed during the current season, but on the flank.

Magnitogorsk fans' dreams of Malkin's return to Metallurg at the end of his career seem to remain dreams. Gino will be 40 years old this summer. Next season will probably be the last meaningful stage of his career. Evgeny won everything in the NHL, so tournament motivation no longer torments him as much as other veterans who rush between clubs in an attempt to reach the Stanley Cup. Malkin chose his native Pittsburgh, not a contender team. Although there was certainly a demand for the Russian in the league. Evgeny preferred to spend another season in a well-known organization next to his longtime friend Crosby. And no one will blame him for that.

While most NHL teams are working with an eye to the future, three clubs continue to compete for the Stanley Cup. On Wednesday, May 27, Colorado dropped out of this company. Throughout the series, the feeling persisted that the Avalanche were still able to add to their internal reserves and stop John Tortorella's team. After all, the Avalanches became the best in the West and in the entire league in the regular season, and Vegas played unstable for more than 70 matches before the coach's change.

After the first two defeats, Cale Makar returned to the Colorado squad, and at the start of the third game, Jared Bednar's team led 3-0. But they managed to give up this match, conceding five goals in a row. Then it became clear: "Colorado" will not be saved. And before the fourth meeting, the participation of Nathan McKinnon and Valery Nichushkin was questionable. The Canadian still got into the squad, but the Russian did not.

In the fourth match, Vegas opened the scoring in the first minutes, and Mark Stone, who had just returned from injury, did it. The Canadian got a high pass on someone else's blue one, handled it with his hand with a basketball trick, ran off one-on-one with Mackenzie Blackwood and outplayed the Colorado goalkeeper.

By the way, Blackwood was a backup during this series and appeared on the ice for the first time only in the last game. I must say that Bednar's decision fully justified itself: Mackenzie brazenly "stole" two goals from Vegas. And Pavel Dorofeev did it both times. The Russian threw from a killing position, and the Canadian miraculously left his team in the game.

But the Avalanche forwards, unlike the goalkeeper, were completely dismantled. Even the most dangerous player in their squad was defender Devon Thaves, who scored 0.24 expected goals. This game seemed to be a clear and harsh response to the words of striker Martin Nechas the day before.

"We can't say that we were outplayed in every match and that their team is better than ours. We've had a lot of stretches this season where we've won four games in a row. So we'll just focus on the next game, go back home, and anything can happen there," the 27-year-old Czech was quoted as saying by ESPN.

The result is that in the fourth match, the Avalanche were completely outplayed. And they really are coming home. But without an opponent. In the end, the teams also exchanged goals: Gabriel Landeskug answered the puck of Cole Smith, who returned the intrigue for the last two minutes. However, the Swede only spoiled the mood of Carter Hart, deprived the goalkeeper of a "biscuit". His team failed to put the match into overtime.

For the first time since the 2021/22 season, the final of the "West" ends in four matches. Then Colorado swept over Edmonton (4-0) and later became the champion. Now it's very easy to beat the Avalanches themselves. In the Stanley Cup finals, Vegas will play the winner of the Carolina–Montreal pair (currently the score in the series is 2-1).