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The Pittsburgh Penguins are having a brutal 2024-25 season. Even with a roster full of future Hall-of-Famers, they have 26 points from 27 games and are well out of the playoff picture. The trade deadline is still months away but Kyle Dubas is already starting to make calls. Cam Robinson of Elite Prospects reported that the Dallas Stars could trade for Evgeni Malkin this year.
“A couple weeks back, I had a little birdie whisper in my ear ‘Watch out for Dallas and Evgeni Malkin,'” Robinson said. “…the Stars, they knew that Tyler Seguin needed to get his hip redone…they were considering shutting him down before the December 10 deadline, putting him on long-term IR until the regular season ended, then he'd be ready to go for the playoffs. Robinson continues, “They would save all that cap space and with that cap space they would then go out and trade for Evgeni Malkin.”
Seguin was shut down on Wednesday and has a recovery timeline of 4-6 months. The best-case scenario is him coming back just in time for the playoffs. Robinson implies that the Stars knew this and timed his IR stint to match up with the end of the regular season.
If the Stars swing this deal, it would cost a lot. What could the deal look like?
What would it cost the Stars to land Evgeni Malkin?
Robinson mentions two top-shelf prospects that the Penguins should target in this trade. Logan Stankoven and Wyatt Johnston are key contributors to the current Stars roster but could head to Pittsburgh if this trade happens. Just one of those guys would be a steep price for Jim Nill to pay for two years of Malkin.
The Stars are not competitive because of Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn. While those veterans are important parts of the team, Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz, Johnston, and Stankoven have them as Cup contenders. Trading away a member of their core would not be a wise way to go about this.
Mavrik Bourque would be the player who would bring value to the Penguins but not hamper the Stars' chances. He is a 22-year-old former first-round pick who was one of the best players in the AHL last year. Bourque is expected to be an NHL star and could help the Penguins power through their rebuild.
Malkin has a no-move clause and could have left before the 2022 season. While the contract is short, he committed to finishing his career in Pittsburgh and could deny any trade put in front of him. If he does not want to be in Dallas, the Stars will not trade for him.
