Was Signing Malkin the Best Thing for the Penguins?

Yeah, I know. What a terrible question to pose. Especially regarding one of the four greatest players ever to don the black and gold.

Evgeni Malkin’s on-ice achievements are staggering. To record them for posterity, two Art Ross Trophies, a Hart Trophy, a Conn Smythe Trophy, a Lester B. Pearson Award and a Calder Trophy. Three Stanley Cups and four Finals appearances. A mind-boggling 444 goals, 702 assists and 1146 points in 981 regular-season games. Sixty-seven postseason goals and 180 points.

In many ways, he’s been the Pens’ emotional heart and soul, not to mention a great teammate. A sure-fire Hall-of-Famer.

A bargain, really, at $6.1 million.

I’ll repeat my question. Was signing Malkin the best thing for our Pens?

I confess, I was torn when I discovered negotiations had stalled and Geno planned to test the free-agent market. Part of me didn’t want him to go. Even at his advanced age, none of the free agents within our reach could replace what he does offensively. He’s still a gifted and, at times, dynamic talent.

Yet another part of me would like to have seen what GM Ron Hextall might’ve done with the extra cap space. Fifteen million dollars prior to Rickard Rakell’s signing, $10 million after.

Perhaps we could’ve signed Vincent Trocheck, the fast, aggressive, two-way center (not to mention hometown boy) who landed on Broadway. Maybe not.

At the very least, perhaps we could’ve re-signed Evan Rodrigues and Danton Heinen, who provided great value last season, while leaving enough cap space for Hextall to add another middle-six forward or defenseman Jan Rutta as he chose to do.

Rodrigues certainly has his detractors, some on this site. But I think he’s going to be difficult to replace. Able to slot up and down the lineup and play any forward position, E-Rod’s versatility, malleability and durability was a huge plus, especially on an injury-prone team. Racking up points or not, he played with the same intensity game-in and game-out, always hustling, always driving possession.

The Pens got plenty out of Heinen, too. The British Columbia native notched 18 goals and showed himself to be an opportunistic scorer despite somewhat limited ice time. In particular, the stealthy forward displayed a knack for sneaking in behind the play and capitalizing on second-chance opportunities.

This isn’t to suggest E-Rod+Heinen=Malkin, not by a long shot. But they were useful players and Geno’s signing pretty much guaranteed they won’t be back. Left with precious little cap space, Hextall plugged the holes with bargain-basement additions Josh Archibald and Drake Caggiula.

In the best of times, you might expect 10-12 goals from each along with a liberal dose of scrappy, aggressive play. But these aren’t the best of times. Both Archibald and Caggiula are recovering from major health issues, the former from Covid and myocarditis that limited him to eight regular-season games last season. The latter, a herniated disk in his neck that required surgery in February, not to mention recurring concussion issues.

Potentially damaged goods.

Pencil them in as question marks. All the while the gap between our top-six and bottom-six forwards has grown wider.

Radim Zohorna has proven he can be effective at the big-league level. Whether that translates into a larger role and, hopefully, more consistent production, is another matter. Ditto Drew O’Connor, who took some significant steps forward and impressed at times before his effectiveness waned due to injury and dwindling ice time.

Kids like Filip Hallander, Samuel Poulin and Valtteri Puustinen…all candidates for at least semi-regular duty…remain unproven. Poulin, in particular, looked ordinary and unassertive in training camp last fall, as if he were skating on eggshells. The former first-round pick rediscovered his mojo with a shift from wing to center part way through the season. Which is great, except center’s a position of strength on our Pens….especially with Malkin back in the fold.

It would’ve been a PR nightmare, not to mention a cold-blooded act, for GMRH to close the door on Geno after No. 71 executed his about-face. Perhaps an on-ice nightmare, too.

But part of me wonders if we might be a more complete hockey team today if he had.