evgewni aMLIN Put a check mark to the Penguins No. 1 priority this offseason. The Pittsburgh Penguins this morning have announced that the team has agreed to an 8 year, $76 million extension with star center Evgeni Malkin.
Malkin, 26, is signed through the 2021-2022 season and the deal carries a $9.5 million cap hit. When comparing Sidney Crosby’s 12 year contract and Malkin’s 8 year contract, Crosby will make $86.4 million through the first eight years of his contract.
The Penguins getting Malkin’s deal taken care of has been pivotal for the Penguins before they engage into talks with Kris Letang on a new extension. The team can now move forward in talks with Letang and see whether a deal can get done. Talks between the Penguins and Letang’s agent Kent Hughes are likely to get underway next week, team sources say, though no timetable has been established yet with Hughes.

With the signing of Malkin, Pittsburgh has $34.1 million committed to six players (Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby, James Neal, Beau Bennett, Paul Martin, Marc Andre Fleury) for the 2014-2015 season.

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