It has been known for a while now that the Penguins will miss the playoffs for a third season in a row and have their season end in game 82 in mid April. It especially is a bad idea to decide to bring back Evgeni Malkin from injury as the games do not matter anymore.
It is just trying to risk further injury by deciding to bring him back and letting him play the last few games of the season. It is a better idea to sit him the rest of the season and let him fully heal and get ready for next season.
Pens HCMS: Malkin has been cleared for contact and is a game time decision Sat vs Dallas
— Josh Getzoff (@JG_PxP) April 4, 2025
Malkin returning would help the Penguins get points that they don't need
Putting Malkin back in the lineup and activating him from IR would help the Penguins pick up more points in the standings and that is not ideal.
The Penguins do not need to be picking up anymore points and risk falling even further back in the top 10 of the Draft Lottery. They need to continue to lose games and fall even further into the top 5 so they can get a really good chance of picking up a star-caliber player in this draft.
Putting Malkin back in this lineup makes the team stronger and it is better if he does not play so the Penguins do not keep winning games that they do not need to win.
Malkin seems to have a late-season injury a lot and then returns at the end of the year when it does not matter
Over the past couple of seasons where the Penguins missed the playoffs, Malkin has seemed to have gotten hurt and then come back when the games do not matter anymore.
Yes, it is nice to have Malkin back and make the lineup a bit stronger, but it does not mean anything now with the Penguins far out of reach of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. If Malkin is not 100 percent ready to return, he should stay on the IR.
Malkin and the Penguins are not purposefully going to tank the rest of the year, but it would be seriously nice to continue to lose.