NHL Rumor Mill – May 6, 2026
Check out the latest on the Penguins, Bruins, Blue Jackets, and Sharks in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.
WHAT WILL THE PENGUINS DO WITH EVGENI MALKIN?
THE ATHLETIC: Josh Yohe reports sources with Evgeni Malkin’s management team say they have not yet spoken with Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas about a contract extension. Dubas is currently handling end-of-season interviews and focusing on their AHL affiliate during the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin (NHL Images).
Malkin’s camp intends to reach out to Dubas later this week to set a date for an in-person meeting to discuss a new contract. Yohe believes the Penguins GM has not yet offered Malkin a new contract. Sources within the 39-year-old center’s camp say he’s not seeking a raise from his current $6.1 million average annual value.
Yohe cited sources with the Penguins last summer, claiming that Dubas had no intention of re-signing Malkin once his contract expired. However, the veteran star exceeded expectations this season, and team captain Sidney Crosby has said he’d like Malkin to return.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Opinion seems divided among the Pittsburgh media regarding Malkin. Some, like Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now, believe it’s time for the Penguins to part company with Malkin and focus on the future. Others, like Mark Madden of TribLive.com, see no problem with bringing back Malkin, though he acknowledged it would mean another year or two of being no better than they were this season.
Dubas seems reluctant to re-sign Malkin. It would surprise me if he inks the aging star to a new contract.
SOME OFF-SEASON PROPOSALS FOR THE BRUINS
THE ATHLETIC: Fluto Shinzawa proposed several options for Boston Bruins GM Don Sweeney’s off-season “to-do” list.
Checking into Brady Tkachuk’s trade availability is his most notable suggestion. He wondered if the Ottawa Senators might be concerned about whether their captain wants to stay after his contract expires in two years.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Senators GM Steve Staios shot down the notion of Tkachuk getting traded this summer, while the 26-year-old left winger insisted that he wants to stay in Ottawa. Maybe that changes by this time next year if the Senators fail to improve in 2026-27. For now, he’s not going anywhere.
Other suggestions by Shinzawa include trading backup goalie Joonas Korpisalo, defenseman Mason Lohrei, and center Casey Mittelstadt. He also thinks Sweeney should keep an eye on New Jersey Devils restricted free-agent defenseman Simon Nemec and on Tampa Bay Lightning pending UFA blueliner Darren Raddysh.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Korpisalo, Lohrei, and Mittelstadt have surfaced in trade rumors since last year. One of them could be used as a trade chip to add to their roster. Nemec would be an expensive addition via trade, while Raddysh could cost over $8 million annually on a long-term deal.
THE LATEST ON THE BLUE JACKETS
THE ATHLETIC: Aaron Portzline reported earlier this week that the Blue Jackets’ management sees re-signing pending unrestricted free-agent forwards Charlie Coyle and Mason Marchment as priorities. Losing both to free agency would be tough losses and could prompt other moves.
Portzline rules out the possibility of the Blue Jackets targeting a restricted free agent star from a rival club.
GM Don Waddell is likely to go the trade route to improve his club this summer. Waddell has indicated that the Blue Jackets’ 2026 first-round pick (14th overall) could be in play for the right offer.
The Blue Jackets could be in the market for a reliable backup goaltender. However, they would first have to attempt to move Elvis Merzlikins, who has a year left on his contract with an AAV of $5.4 million.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The limited number of decent goalies available in this summer’s trade and free-agent markets could make Merzlikins easier to move, but there’s still no certainty the Jackets will find any takers. They might have to retain part of his salary or bundle him with a draft pick or prospect to make him more enticing.
SHARKS OPEN TO TRADING THEIR 2026 FIRST-ROUND PICK
THE MERCURY NEWS: Curtis Pashelka reports San Jose Sharks GM Mike Grier said he’s open to trading his 2026 first-round pick, which sits second overall following Tuesday’s NHL Draft Lottery.
Grier said he’d consider moving that pick for the right offer. However, he also has no problem using it to add another promising youngster to his deep prospect pipeline.
I don’t see why you wouldn’t keep Malkin. Hes open to playing wing and taking a diminished role. He will be fairly cheap. The free agent market is weak. Every team is gonna be looking at the trade market driving up prices. What id look at is gauging the value of rakell or rust. That’s where I’d look to get younger. I’d think after his year karlsson would have a good market but with letang fading fast they probably keep him and not move him at deadline if not competing for the playoffs.
Seems prudent to keep Malkin, Pens have an enormous cap space and tradable vets and 9 2nd rounders in the next 4 years. These assets can be turned into young NHL ready players and prospect this year to give an enormous bump in their rebuild!
Chrisms. Will Malkin be cheap? For a team with so many FA’s, bringing him back on a cheap 1 year deal seems like a no brainer. But, with Malkin comments about being willing to play elsewhere, I think he’s looking for as much as he can get before retiring.
Nah. Hes quoted as saying he wasn’t looking for a raise. The play elsewhere stuff is public manipulation to put more pressure on Dubas to keep him here. If I remembered where I read the quote I’d post it but I don’t. Probably the trib.
I think the key part of Malkin’s position stated above is where it says “Sources within the 39-year-old center’s camp say he’s not seeking a raise from his current $6.1 million average annual value.”
“Not seeking a raise” could also signify that he’s not prepared to take a cut either. And $6.1 mil average annual value is a tad pricey and more than a bit of a gamble on a player who turns 40 on July 31.
Maybe. But the pens have more cap space than they know what to do with. And he was over a ppg. 6 mil for that potential production isn’t bad and if he tapers off significantly it doesn’t hurt their cap outlook. Salary is the least of Dubas concerns. Him blocking younger talent and his health seem to be the big issues. But unless someone takes a big leap this offseason pens don’t really have any wingers banging on the door to be locks to fit in the top 6 next year. And when he gets hurt it opens up spot for said wingers to try to usurp his minutes. I don’t see much downside and do see upside to bringing him back.
Mmm … makes good sense. And he is a tough SOB.
So, here’s a twist now that the draft lottery has been set.
Robertson to Toronto for the first pick…Toronto gets and established full fledged star in the league to play with Matthews. Robertson gets to play with his brother. Stars get McKenna, maybe Stars take a bad contract back to make the money work.
Or, as mentioned in Lyle’s column…Robertson to Sharks for 2nd overall and Robertson gets to go back to California and Stars pick Stenberg.
Stars take Reilly back to make the cap work would benefit a Trono retool and keep Mathews a Leaf, for sure. Then they are back into WIN NOW mode.
Hmmm, scratch that on Reilly. Stars have no need to take a slumping LD
Mittelstadt has never turned into the player that teams had hoped he’d be. The fact that he has become serviceable in Boston was a bit of a surprise. Good for him, but you wonder what his future is in Beantown. Maybe as a 3rd line center.
Rangers send picks 5,27 and Braden Schneider for picks 2,20 and a 2027 2nd.
Who would they target at 2?
Moving up in the draft is more expensive. Take out the 20th overall pick and you might have a shot at that 2nd.
Nemec for Tkachuk straight up. T is a better player but he’s gone in 2 years. Ottawa would get more term out of Nemec and could have one of the best D corps in the East.
As an outsider, I need some feedback as to why everyone seems to think T is a goner in two years. What has he said?
I get the sense that those thinking that way do so because they see the Senators dropping back to the state they were in 3/4 years ago.
An without some decent picks over the next 2 years they may well be right. Aside from Yakemchuk and maybe Hensler, there is precious little in Belleville right now.
IF a Cozens or a Pinto – both C – is dealt this off-season, partt of what comes back HAS to be a pick or two.
The Leafs Have a first round draft pick in next years draft as they acquired it in the Nic Roy trade to Colorado.!!
I know our pick is going to Boston or Philly but we still got Colorado’s first rounder next year.!
Everyone saying they don’t own one. ??