Even while playing on a knee that needed to be surgically repaired and missing two outings of a six-game series, Evgeni Malkin still tied for second in Penguins 2021 postseason production with five points (1-4—5).
He trailed only Kris Letang, who paced Pittsburgh with six points (1-5—6) from the blue line. Still, those performances aren’t enough to quash the trade murmurs inevitably swirling around the two after the Penguins’ third consecutive early playoff exit.
General manager Ron Hextall and former GM Jim Rutherford, who manned the Penguins’ helm for the two prior playoff runs, have approached their plans for Pittsburgh’s core players very differently through these past three offseasons.