Pittsburgh legend and potential stars: Malkin and seven other Russian NHL hockey players with expiring contracts

Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh Penguins)

This summer, one of the most discussed topics in the NHL threatens to become the future of the top scorer of the Stanley Cup among Russians.

At the end of the 2021/22 season, Evgeni Malkin's eight-year contract with Pittsburgh will expire.

And although negotiations between the parties have been going on for a long time, it has not yet been possible to reach an agreement.

According to the North American media, common ground cannot be reached both in terms of the length of the new contract and in terms of salary.

Malkin completed the current regular season as one of the 23 highest paid hockey players in the league, earning $ 9.5 million a year.

And although he still remains one of the strongest forwards in the world and continues to score more than one point per game, the Penguins management is unlikely to decide to offer him similar conditions.

And there are several reasons for this at once, the main of which are age and increased trauma.

Over the past two seasons, Evgeny missed a total of 64 matches due to injuries, and there is no guarantee that the situation will not happen again.

After all, at the end of July, the hockey player will celebrate his 36th birthday.

According to various sources, Malkin himself hopes to spend his entire career in Pittsburgh and wants to continue to play in the same team with Sidney Crosby and Chris Letang.

But at the same time, it is unlikely to accept unfavorable conditions.

According to him, he is still a good hockey player, and such people sign worthy contracts.

As for the amount, both sides have not yet named specific figures.

The only thing that The Athletic insiders note is that Evgeny will have to take more than a two-fold pay cut in order to remain in the camp of the five-time Stanley Cup winner.

In this case, he will receive at the level of Los Angeles forward Viktor Arvidsson or Columbus guard Vladislav Gavrikov.

And this hardly corresponds to his status and level.

Thus, while there is a possibility of Malkin leaving Pittsburgh.

Moreover, not only a potential return to Russia is mentioned, but also a transition to another NHL team.

In particular, in “Washington”, which risks being left without star center forward Niklas Backström.

The Swede has long been experiencing serious problems with the hip and may announce his retirement in the summer.

True, the media do not believe in such an outcome.

According to journalist Tariq El-Bashir, the Capitals, who have taken a course on rejuvenation, are unlikely to offer a three-year contract to a 36-year-old player.

Valery Nichushkin (Colorado Avalanche)

But there will certainly be increased interest in Malkin's compatriot.

Valery Nichushkin not only produced the highest scoring season of his career (25 + 27) and was among the contenders for the award for the best defensive forward (Selke Trophy), but also helped Colorado get into the Stanley Cup final for the first time since 2001.

And although the key roles are expectedly played by Nathan McKinnon, Cale Makar and Mikko Rantanen, the contribution of the Russian cannot be ignored.

In 14 meetings, he scored nine (5 + 4) points, is in the top 10 in terms of utility (“+5”) and enjoys the trust of a mentor.

On average, Valery spends more than 20 minutes on the ice in the playoffs, which is the sixth result in the Avalanche.

It is all the more surprising that Nichushkin is not even listed in the top ten highest paid Colorado players.

Under the current contract, he receives $ 2.8 million a year and will have the right to demand an increase in the summer.

And in this case, it will be extremely difficult for the club to keep him.

Agreements with Nazem Kadri, Darcy Kemper and Andre Burakowski also expire in 2022, and it is unlikely that they will be able to keep everyone.

Especially if the first of those listed requires a salary of at least $6 million. In the last regular season, he scored 87 (28 + 59) points and set a personal record, so he has the right to expect better conditions.

And the bosses are unlikely to decide to part with the center forward of the second link. 

Alexander Radulov and Vladislav Namestnikov (Dallas Stars)

But if Malkin and Nichushkin only have to decide on their future, Alexander Radulov has already made a choice.

After six seasons spent in North America, the striker decided to return to Russia and signed a contract with Ak Bars.

Thus, the invitation of the ex-forward of Dallas became part of a large-scale campaign of Kazan, during which they also got Vadim Shipachev and Vyacheslav Voinov, and Oleg Znark, the gold medalist of the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang, was appointed as a coach.

Of course, for the KHL, the return of Radulov is a huge event from the image point of view.

He is still one of the most famous Russian hockey players and is able to draw attention to the league.

The only question is what condition the two-time world champion is in.

Over the past years, the productivity of the forward has been gradually declining.

If in the 2018/19 season he scored 72 (29 + 43) points in 70 meetings, then in the current season he limited himself to 22 (4 + 18) in 71. And this is with a catastrophic indicator of utility (“-20”).

The Stars only missed more in the presence of Tyler Seguin and John Klingberg on the ice, but at least they were relatively useful at the goal.

Therefore, the question arises whether Radulov will be able to compensate for the funds spent on his acquisition.

According to the "Championship", he will receive about 200 million rubles per season, and most of it in the form of bonuses.

But even if the official salary is half as much, the burden on the payroll will be more than significant.

In the KHL, the salary cap is 900 million rubles, which can greatly limit Ak Bars in terms of staffing.

And this, in turn, will have a negative impact on the prospects of Kazan.

Given the arrival of the stars, they will be expected, if not victory in the Gagarin Cup, then at least reaching the final.

It is possible that Radulov's former teammate will also have to look for a new team.

Vladislav Namestnikov joined the Dallas roster in early March when Detroit traded him for a fourth-round pick in the 2024 draft.

But in the new place, the striker did not work out.

In 15 games, he scored three goals and provided two assists in one of the worst championships of his career.

In total, he scored 30 points in 75 meetings - not counting the debut season, he was less productive in only four.

It is not yet known whether Dallas plans to offer Namestnikov to stay on the team, but Detroit may consider signing a striker.

Fansided believes that he is able to look harmoniously in the third or fourth links of the Red Wings.

And not the brightest performance in the last regular season will not allow him to count on a high fee.

Ilya Mikheev and Ilya Lyubushkin (Toronto Maple Leafs)

In the summer of 2022, two Russian players from Toronto may also enter the free agent market.

It is highly likely that both will start the next regular season in other teams.

But if Ilya Lyubushkin is not one of the strongest defenders of the team and therefore risks not getting a worthy contract offer, then Ilya Mikheev may leave for other reasons.

The club may not have enough funds to extend the agreement with the promising striker.

For Mikheev, the past season was the most successful in his overseas career.

Not only did he break the 30 points mark for the first time in a regular season (21 + 11), but he also became the first hockey player in the franchise in the last five years to score four shorthanded goals.

And that's not counting two goals in the end of the playoff meeting with Tampa Bay.

Previously, not a single Maple Leafs hockey player managed to hit the opponent's empty net twice in one match.

Therefore, it is logical to assume that Mikheev will demand an increase in salary, which the Toronto bosses are unlikely to pull.

And the point here is not a lack of respect for the Russian, but a large number of highly paid hockey players.

The Auston Matthews-Mitchell Marner-John Tavares trio cost over $30 million to maintain, with a salary cap of $82.5 million. And that's not counting other stars including William Nylander and Mark Giordano.

But even if the Canadians fail to offer Ilya decent conditions, it is unlikely that he should worry about his future - the demand for a rapidly progressing striker is quite high.

Nikita Zadorov (Calgary Flames)

Among other things, in the summer a new club may be forced to look for Nikita Zadorov.

As in the case of Mikheev, this season was the most successful for him in his career: he not only set a personal best in points for the regular season (4 + 18), but also helped Calgary get into the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2015 Stanley Cup.

At the same time, the Russian himself was remembered not only for three assists in the playoffs, but also for his dedication.

According to TSN Sports, he spent the series with Edmonton with three broken ribs.

And it is possible that the combat of two Zadorov will allow him to count on a new contract with Calgary.

Last year, he received $ 3.75 million and worked it out in full, patching holes in the team's defense.

The logical decision would be to offer him a new deal, but even if the Flames don't, Nikita is unlikely to look for a new place for a long time.

He is already being named as one of the possible reinforcements for Los Angeles and Vancouver.