What could contract extensions for Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang look like?
One thing that wasnt mentioned in yesterdays article here on PensBurgh about Ron Hextalls recent comments was his talk about the possibility of extending Kris Letangs and Evgeni Malkins contracts. Hextall has said both will return in 2021-22, the last year of their current contracts. Both are eligible to sign the following contracts starting already this summer for 2022-23. Here are Hextalls thoughts on extensions:  These are discussions that are certainly going on within our employees. Im not necessarily excited to discuss them now. But we see a future with this core. These guys have been here a long time. We had a good team. It gave me no pause to figure out what to do with this core. It was no fluke. I expect to have these guys back next year for sure. He is quick to parry the question and not eager to argue with the media, but sees a future that is at least until 2021-22 with the Pens Big Three. Since Hextall isnt going to move a star, his two options are to let them play 2021-22 and see how that goes, or extend one or both at this point. As previously mentioned for the season, a key indicator of a potential guide card for a Malkin expansion is Alex Ovechkins situation in Washington. The negotiations may have been longer than many expected, but Ovechkin is confident he will be re-signing soon, and being his own agent, he would know. It is possible, if not likely, that the parties will wait until after the extension draw at this point so that the Capitals do not have to protect Ovechkin. (Seattle could still claim him, but hes a free agent days after the expansion version, so that would be a waste of the Krakens part). Regardless, indicators point to Ovechkin signing a 3-5 year deal worth in the area of $10 million per season. After the 2021-2022 season, Crosby has three more seasons left on his contract. That would represent Malkins aged 36, 37 and 38 seasons and make a lot of sense. If the term is pretty easy to define what makes sense, the money is still in the air. Negotiating money with stars is always a tricky situation, even for the elderly. Adding to the mix is the well-known belief that team owner Mario Lemieux, who knows a thing or two about being a franchise center that plays for one franchise, has the ambition to keep Crosby and Malkin in Pittsburgh for the duration of their careers. . Hextall clearly has a plan (even if he doesnt want to talk to the public about it just yet, which is fine) and it will be fun to watch it unfold. The Letang negotiations can be more difficult. Alex Pietrangelo just signed a contract in Vegas to pay him an AAV of $8.8 million through age 38. Jacob Trouba is not that old, but signed a deal for $8.0 million not too long ago. Dougie Hamilton is likely to get a major contract this summer. Being a number one right-handed defender pays well. On the one hand, it doesnt behoove the Penguins to make too much of it. On the other hand, Letangs will probably be the best defender the team has for a while. He is a proud player and it is a complicated negotiation with many factors. Running the season and seeing how much success Letang and the Pens have in the coming year before setting a course for each. All of these factors should include Bryan Rust continuing to be an unrestricted free agent beyond next season and should force a serious increase in his $3.5 million cap hit. Hextall confirmed that the Penguins will remain in win mode, which usually means they risk losing good but priceless players to free agency for the sake of a top team for as many cracks as possible. One aspect that seems inevitable is that while the main Pens squad may return for 2021-22, this next season could be the last hurray for this group of Penguins as we know them. It is possible, if not likely, that one or more of Malkin, Letang and Rust will play outside of Pittsburgh in 2022-23. It will be Pittsburghs most interesting off-season development to check out.