Who needs to step up on Penguins with Evgeni Malkin injured?

The Pittsburgh Penguins have surprised many hockey observers this season with strong play, which has put them challenging for a Stanley Cup playoff position with a 14-8-8 record. But the Penguins suffered a significant blow with the injury of star center Evgeni Malkin, and now, the Pens’ playoff hopes are in significant jeopardy.

Before Malkin was sidelined following last Thursday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the 39-year-old had been thriving, posting 21 assists and 29 points in 26 games. Malkin hadn’t been producing points at a point-per-game pace or better since 2022-23, when he had 83 points in 82 games.

Only fellow superstar pivot Sidney Crosby (34 points in 30 games) has produced more offense than Malkin has this season. Replacing his scoring is going to be a herculean task for the Pens players who are healthy enough to play.

To wit: other than right winger Bryan Rust (26 points), defenseman Erik Karlsson (22 points) and right winger Anthony Mantha (20 points), no Penguins player has more than 15 points. And there are no young players either on the Pens roster right now or on their American League affiliate who can come in and generate at the same pace Malkin had been. Malkin’s replacement on the second line is 34-year-old veteran Kevin Hayes, who has had his own health issues this year that have limited him to 154 games. 

In that span, Hayes has only three goals and five points. The Penguins have $14.3 million in salary cap space, but it’s not as if there’s an abundance of second-line centers available on the trade block.

Thus, if there is going to be replacement-level offense in Malkin’s stead, it’s going to have to come internally. But with due respect to everyone on Pittsburgh’s depth chart.

Malkin is listed as week-to-week with his injury, but we should all know by now that teams are loath to give a realistic appraisal of their players’ health status. It’s not out of the question that Malkin may be out of the lineup well into the new calendar year. If it does take that long for Malkin to return, his injury could put nails in the coffin of Pittsburgh’s playoff hopes – not all of the nails – but enough to give Pens fans a sobering look at the competitive state of this team. 

With the parity in the league, it’s true to say that most, if not all, of the teams in the NHL could have their playoff hopes snuffed out when a key player is sidelined for a long stretch of time. And that’s certainly true of the Penguins and Malkin’s injury.

Pittsburgh has probably overachieved to be where it is in the Metropolitan Division and Eastern Conference standings. Without one of their two best players, a slide down the ranks of teams is almost assuredly looming for the Pens.

Malkin is no longer in his prime, but he’s shown this season that he still has a lot left to offer. Unfortunately, he leaves a gigantic hole in the lineup, and it’s a hole that isn’t likely to be adequately filled. If the Penguins do falter in the days and weeks to come, Malkin’s injury could be pointed to as a key reason Pittsburgh will miss the playoffs for the fourth straight season.

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