MONTREAL -- Evgeni Malkin's staying in Pittsburgh. Bank on it.
Based on everything I heard here on the first day of the NHL Draft, from the Penguins themselves and beyond, the third and final member of their three-Cup Core is expected to sign a new contract comfortably before the opening of the league's free-agency period July 13. And sooner rather than later within that span.
I don't expect it'll rival the six-year, $36.6 million extension Kris Letang signed Thursday afternoon, as management's made clear all along that Letang's performance and durability in recent years established him as the clear priority. But, given the significant concession Letang made with a $6.1 million average annual value -- which he acknowledged here Thursday night was done to help the team "compete" -- it's inconceivable the same wouldn't be sought from Malkin.
Now, on the record, also from the Bell Centre floor on this Thursday night ...
• Letang said of a Malkin contract that "hopefully" it'll be done "soon," adding that the two communicated Thursday: "I mean, obviously, he texted me today, and he was really happy. And I kind of said I hope you get this done soon so we keep it all together."
• Mike Sullivan said of a Malkin contract: "Well, I'm optimistic. I think, you know, these guys mean so much to the city of Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Penguins in the legacy that they've built. I think it speaks for itself."
• Ron Hextall said of a Malkin contract: “We’re sure hoping we can get him done. He’s been with the organization a long time, and we want to keep him. So hopefully, we’ll get it done.”
This is not how people speak when there's any sense of uncertainty.
And trust me, this isn't how anyone was speaking off the record, either.
MORE PENGUINS
2. That said, there also was zero indication that the team's even begun pursuits of the other pending unrestricted free agents, Rickard Rakell and Evan Rodrigues. There's no question management loves Rakell and welcome keeping him -- nor that Rakell would want to stay -- but nothing can happen until the cap space clears up, and that'll require Malkin's signature. At the moment, there's about $15 million left, and that'll be tight. -- Kovacevic
3. Also zero indication of an extension approach for Tristan Jarry, which would mean allowing him to enter a walk year in 2022-23. Scary stuff, if one scans the NHL for the cost of quality starting goaltending. -- Kovacevic
4. Anyone who ever wonders which of the two, Hextall or Brian Burke, is running hockey ops ... yeah, this scene says it all. Hextall's in complete charge, while respectful of those around him, while maintaining a close and real confidence in Burke ... but in complete charge. He's much more comfortable, from what I've witnessed, showing that rather than talking about it. Interesting dude. -- Kovacevic
5. When I was chatting Thursday with the Penguins' president of business operations, Kevin Acklin, I asked if there's a chance that the old triangle penguin logo from the 90s and early 2000s ever makes a return. Acklin told me that the Penguins still have the trademark, intellectual property portfolio for the "pigeon" (his word, not mine). While nothing is imminent or in the works for a return of the pigeon, Acklin said "never say never" on seeing it included in an alternate jersey at some point. -- Taylor Haase in Montreal
6. The Penguins are having "active discussions" with the NHL on hosting an All-Star Game in Pittsburgh in the near future. Mayor Ed Gainey is involved in the pitch, and sent a letter to the league expressing interest. Nothing is done yet, but the Penguins are hoping to have something finalized "pretty soon." There hasn't been one since -- wait for it -- 1990, when Mario Lemieux scored four times at the Civic Arena and was named MVP. -- Haase
7. The Penguins have taken on a number of initiatives aimed at growing diversity in the sport of hockey -- the Willie O'Ree Academy, the Hunt Armory rink, naming Jaden Lindo manager of community hockey programs to lead these initiatives and others. Fenway Sports Group partner and Penguins co-owner LeBron James has spoken with Fenway about wanting to get more personally involved with those kinds of programs the Penguins are doing. -- Haase
8. Qualifying offers for restricted free agents are due to be submitted on July 11. Among the Penguins' prospects who are unrestricred free agents, two have already left for Europe in defenseman Niclas Almari and forward Kasper Bjorkqvist. Forward Jan Drozg and goaltender Alex D'Orio are among those who will definitely not be receiving qualifying offers and will hit free agency. The losses of RFAs don't move the needle much when it comes to the strength of the prospect pool, but it does free up some contract spots as the Penguins typically do operate close to the 50-contract limit. -- Haase
9. I ran into Louis Domingue here at the draft and spoke with him briefly, it was good to see him doing well. I later saw him on the draft floor, speaking with some members of the Penguins' staff. It could have just been catching up. He's a really friendly guy. But the Penguins are in need of a No. 3 goaltender next season -- the rookies Filip Lindberg and Taylor Gauthier in Wilkes-Barre won't cut it, and an experienced No. 3 will be signed. The market for No. 3s is never great. There's always a reason why a goaltender is in the market for a No. 3 role and not a position in the NHL. Domingue, after some early heroics in the playoffs, did begin to look very much like a No. 3 goalie again by mid-series. He's an unrestricted free agent this summer, and the Penguins could do a whole lot worse if they look to fill that opening on the open market. -- Haase
PIRATES
10. Oneil Cruz has had more than a handful of jaw-dropping moments since his promotion last month, but his overall stat line isn’t that flattering. That has led to some on social media questioning if he should continue his development in Class AAA Indianapolis.
“Are these the same people who were screaming to get him up early?” hitting coach Andy Haines said with a chuckle when I asked him about that idea.
That should tell us everything we need to know. Cruz is going to continue his development in the majors. Haines feels it’s what he needs.
“The major-league game, every game is filled with moments of learning and growth. How he can use his tools and maximize them,” Haines said. “The hardest part for any young major-league player – especially us since we have so many guys in that window – is the finishing school, because in the minor leagues, there’s nothing else that level can teach you.” -- Alex Stumpf in Cincinnati
11. After his start against the Pirates this week, Brewers starter Corbin Burnes said he modeled his game plan knowing the Pirates have one of the lowest swing percentages in the league. According to FanGraphs, the Pirates went into their doubleheader Thursday less than 0.1% ahead of the Diamondbacks for the lowest swing rate of the year.
The way Haines explained it is “our swing percentage has to match their zone percentage.” They’ll be aggressive if the pitcher is a strike thrower. If they’re looking for chase, they’ll make a point to not help them out. -- Stumpf in Cincinnati
12. You may have noticed on broadcasts this week that the bullpen has started waving towels whenever Bednar enters the game to “Renegade” at PNC Park. Chase De Jong said he was the guy who started that, saying Bednar should be “beloved” by his hometown, so when there’s a full house at PNC Park like this past series with the Yankees, they want it to be a special interest.
The Terrible Towel is taken, so De Jong threw out the idea of calling it something along the lines of the “Bednar bandana.” It could work. -- Stumpf
13. Saw Jameson Taillon making (a rather healthy) round of hellos at PNC Park Wednesday, whenever he didn’t have to worry about preparing for his start. Hardly a surprise, but he’s still liked, and missed, by many. -- Stumpf
14. Another former Pirates pitcher who made an appearance this week: Steve Blass was in the house for Hawaiian shirt night. He’s looking good. -- Stumpf
15. It was also Diego Castilo’s first time facing his former club when the Yankees came to town. One half of what the Pirates got in return for Clay Holmes, Castillo reflected to me that the biggest lesson he learned in their farm system was to “respect the game and play hard no matter how you feel.” “That’s why they do what they do all the time,” he said. -- Stumpf
16. More than a couple readers were upset that I didn’t include a pitcher in my draft preview, but I just don’t see any team in the top five reaching for one. Still, I reached out to a league source who has been following the draft to get their input on the best pitchers. Their assessment: Prep pitcher Brock Porter, then Dylan Lesko (who is recovering from Tommy John surgery) and Oklahoma righty Cade Horton. On a list of their top 10 pitchers available, Kumar Rocker was eighth. -- Stumpf
STEELERS
17. Now that Baker Mayfield has been traded to the Panthers, three of the quarterbacks selected in the top 10 of the 2018 draft have now changed teams. In fact, the Panthers now have two of the top three players selected in that draft. Mayfield went first overall, while Sam Darnold was selected third by the Jets. Josh Rosen, the 10th pick that year by the Cardinals, has already gone through five teams and is currently not on anyone's roster. It just shows what a crapshoot taking a quarterback in the first round can be. Two of the five quarterbacks selected in that draft -- Josh Allen by the Bills and Lamar Jackson by the Ravens -- have been hits. But both went to well-established teams. Remember, the Bills traded up to acquire Allen seventh, while Jackson went 32nd after Baltimore traded for a second first-round pick. Where a quarterback lands means as much if not more than the pick with which he was taken. -- Dale Lolley on the South Side
18. It's interesting that Kenny Pickett's contract with the Steelers contains just $7.411 million guaranteed -- the amount of his signing bonus. Najee Harris' rookie deal in 2021 was fully guaranteed. His deal was four years at $13.047 million with the Steelers, of course, holding a fifth-year option. Good for Harris' agent, Doug Hendrickson to get that deal fully guaranteed. Given the wear and tear running backs take, it was a prudent move. -- Lolley
19. Just how volatile has the quarterback position been in recent drafts? From 2015 through 2019, there were 16 quarterbacks selected in the first round of the draft. Of those, only five are still with the team that selected them. That's why the Steelers are going to be willing to take their time with Pickett. Many of those young quarterbacks were thrown to the wolves, ruining any chance they had for success. -- Lolley
20. Brian Flores has been given a lot of credit for "solving" Jackson with his blitz-heavy scheme against the Ravens quarterback last season. But really, it was the Steelers who have the Rosetta Stone for solving Jackson. They've always been blitz heavy against him. Flores just did it last year with smaller bodies -- safeties and corners -- as opposed to linebackers. But the Steelers have used a defensive scheme with three outside linebackers on the field against Jackson with success in the past two seasons. In five career games against the Steelers, Jackson has a 67.4 passer rating, his lowest against any team. He's thrown six interceptions and been sacked 16 times with just four touchdown passes. Still, Jackson couldn't have been happy to see Flores join the Steelers' coaching staff as linebackers coach. -- Lolley
21. There was a social media post this week that the Steelers' 8-2-1 record in one-score games last season was fluky and that they're due for a major regression. But the Steelers have had at least a .500 record in one-score games in every season since 2014. They went 2-5 in one-possession games in 2013. Knowing how to win close games is an art form. And some teams know how to do it, while others do not. There's also this: In his career as a starter, Mitch Trubisky is 16-11 in games decided by seven points or less. So, he's been pretty good in that respect, as well. Remember, the Steelers went 6-5 in 2019 in one-score games with Mason Rudolph and Duck Hodges at quarterback. Something tells me, they'll be OK this year in that regard. -- Lolley
