CRANBERRY, Pa. -- Evgeni Malkin has decided to test free agency and will listen to offers from other teams when he becomes a free agent at 12 p.m. on Wednesday, according to a report from Darren Dreger of TSN.
At his end-of-season media availability, Malkin mentioned that he sees himself playing three more seasons. He left the availability by telling reporters that he hopes to see them next season.
As the offseason went on, Malkin watched Ron Hextall prioritize re-signing Kris Letang and Bryan Rust. Now, it appears Malkin wants to see what he can get elsewhere.
It's unclear whether term or money is stopping a deal from happening.
Currently, the Penguins have $15,308,158 in cap space with nine forwards, seven defensemen and two goalies under contract.
Malkin could still be re-signed by the Penguins, but the front office has also internally discussed signing center Vince Trocheck as a fallback option, Taylor Haase reported.
Outside of Malkin and Trocheck, other notable centers set to become free agents on Wednesday are Patrice Bergeron, Claude Giroux, Nazem Kadri, Ryan Strome and Dylan Strome.
