This past week, the NHL announced how many games each team would appear on a National TV platform like ABC, TNT, TBS, ESPN, etc. For the Penguins, it got announced that they would appear on these networks a total of 16 times for the upcoming 2025-26 season.
There has been speculation going around amongst the league and amongst fans of if this is going to be Evgeni Malkin's last year in the NHL and Malkin's last year as a Penguin. Malkin has played every year in the league with the Penguins and right alongside his best friend Sidney Crosby.
It sems that the amount of national attention that the Penguins are going to get this year, is certainly confirming that this is Malkin's final ride. It is sad to think about that the 2025-26 season could be Malkin's last, as most hockey fans grew up watching him.
Malkin is not the same player he used to be but is still dynamic and should put up points this year
It has been known for a while now, that with each passing year, Malkin's production has gone down. He also has been dealing with injuries each and every season now for the past few years.
In his prime, you could expect Malkin to put up anywhere between 80-100 points a season. Now, fans expect anywhere in the 50–70-point range as Malkin has slowed down a bit as he has gotten older. He is almost in his 40s and that is typically when players of his caliber's production dip.
No matter if it is his final season as fans speculate, it will still be a joy to watch him hopefully for all 82 games in the calendar year. Who knows, maybe the Penguins will somehow someway sneak into a playoff spot and get Malkin one last shot at the Stanley Cup.
Fans of the Penguins just want to see Malkin fully healthy for one more year. They want to see him produce like he was used to when he was back in his prime. But no matter what happens, if it is his last season, fans should enjoy watching him on their TVs one last time.