What does a “good contract” for Evgeni Malkin look like for him, and the team?

“I believe I am still a good player,” Evgeni Malkin said yesterday. “And I believe good players sign good contracts.”

To those points, Malkin is correct on both accounts. While his 2021-22 was delayed from rehabbing coming off a major knee surgery, Malkin still recorded 42 points in 41 games. That made him one of just 17 centers (as always questionably defined by the NHL, anyways) that recorded better than a point per game this past season.

Has Malkin shown signs of age? Naturally at 35-years old, the answer is yes, his skating explosiveness and some of his physical skills are not what they were a decade prior. However, he is still one of the most talented players in the game, an ace on the…