CRANBERRY, Pa. -- Evgeni Malkin spent most of the last five months split between his homes in Miami and Russia, relaxing with his family and training hard in preparation for the coming season.
And to him, he said it felt as if every time he woke up and checked the news, he was reading about some new change involving his team back in his other home in Pittsburgh.
From a new president of hockey operations and general manager in Kyle Dubas, a slew of new hirings in all departments, the trade of the year that brought in reigning Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Erik Karlsson, and a flurry of signings in free agency, the team Malkin came back to when he arrived back in Pittsburgh at the start of September was a whole lot different than the one he left at the end of last season.
He's pretty pleased with the way things have turned out.
"It's new for me, we changed a lot this year," Malkin said after the Penguins' third day of training camp Saturday at the Lemieux Complex. "I hope it helps the team to be stronger, better. We weren't happy last year, for sure -- owners, coaches, players, we're here to win. Last season was very disappointing for us, but now we look forward. New teammates, new faces here, and we try to be better every day."
The biggest of those new faces, of course, is Karlsson. Karlsson, paired with Marcus Pettersson, has been in the same practice group as Malkin in all three days. Malkin and Karlsson teamed up for a number of chances in Friday's scrimmage, and seem to have good chemistry early on. They certainly had a head start on building that chemistry, as both were among some of the early arrivals in town for the informal skates leading up to training camp. They're sure to see a lot of ice time together once the season starts, especially as Karlsson is expected to play on the top power play unit.
Asked what he thought of the Karlsson trade, Malkin chuckled a little.
"What do I think?" Malkin said with a laugh. "He was a Norris-winner last year. He's the best defenseman in the league. We signed good players, and we're trying to win again. He's an amazing guy, an amazing player, but we need to work every day."
With the playmaking skills Karlsson has, that could benefit Malkin. The early connections between the two in the scrimmages is a preview of that. On the power play, with how good Karlsson is at getting shots through to the net and creating movement, that could benefit Malkin. It's a massive upgrade. On the power play with San Jose last season, Karlsson attempted 24.44 shots per 60 minutes of ice time. For context, only Rickard Rakell (26.63) and Malkin (26.03) attempted shots more frequently on the power play last season among Penguins players. The Penguins' two most frequent power play quarterbacks -- Kris Letang (18.95) and Jeff Petry (19.14) -- weren't even close to what Karlsson was attempting.
At the same time, both Karlsson and Malkin both have to be mindful about the risks they take with the puck.
"He likes to play with the puck," Malkin observed of Karlsson. "He plays a ton of minutes, and he could give me a chance every game, probably. We need to help each other, and not just give him the puck because he scored 100 points. We need to help each other, play hard in the D zone. We don't want to be a minus every game and score five goals. Be smart, every zone, help each other."
Another one of those new additions is Reilly Smith, acquired from the Golden Knights in exchange for a third-round draft pick in June. Smith and Malkin have been on a line for the first three days of camp, with Andreas Johnsson playing on the right wing opposite Smith. Typically, training camp lines aren't to be over-analyzed. Mike Sullivan likes putting a depth player or prospect alongside two sure NHL players. Last year, Malkin started camp alongside Drake Caggiula, for instance.
Johnsson probably won't be in the top six when the season starts. But that Smith-Malkin connection? That's as real as it gets. Smith can play in the top six and score -- he had 26 goals and 30 assists in 78 games last year for Vegas. But one of his biggest strengths is his defensive play and his awareness away from the puck. For someone like Malkin, who is a risk-taker offensively, having a linemate like Smith can be the perfect complement.
"He's a Stanley Cup champion, you know? I hope he shows me his ring," Malkin quipped when asked about Smith. "We try to play together right now, we try to understand each other. He's very smart, a very fast forward, and has great experience. I think we're a stronger team than last year, and I hope we stay together."
This season will be Malkin's 18th in the league. He's 37 years old. As long as he's been around, last season was still only the first time that he's missed the playoffs in his career. He's not dwelling on it, he doesn't feel like that missed postseason puts pressure on the Penguins to have something to prove this early in the year. He's just taking things one day at a time as he gets ready for the season.
"It's new faces here," he said. "We try to be positive, try and joke around. Training camp is hard. You play scrimmage games for a couple of days. You try to help each other, be positive, and look forward."
These long training camp days are a grind, but he hopes to have even more of them in the future.
"Three more years, I hope," he said.
