Ron Hextall made it clear last week that he believes the Penguins will lose a "pretty good player" in the July 21 expansion draft that will stock the roster of the NHL's newest franchise in Seattle.
It doesn't matter whether they opt to protect three defensemen, seven forwards and a goalie, which almost certainly will be the case, or eight skaters (regardless of position) and a goalie.
But is there any chance Hextall would be willing to risk losing a franchise icon and future Hall of Famer to trim the number of younger players his team will have to make available to the Kraken?
That was a non-issue until Friday evening, when the Penguins announced that center Evgeni Malkin, who will turn 35 on July 31, had undergone surgery on his right knee and that he is not expected to participate in training camp in September.
The nature of the surgery was not disclosed and the Penguins said only that the team expects to have a "more definitive timeframe" for Malkin's return during camp, which will open about a month after the draft.
That is not a particularly promising non-prognosis for any player, let alone one in his mid-30s.
So the question is, should Hextall consider leaving Malkin unprotected in the expansion draft?
Malkin, of course, could render the entire issue moot by declining to waive his no-movement clause, which compels the Penguins to protect him in the draft.
Ownership has expressed a desire to have Malkin, as well as Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang, spend his entire career here, so it's also possible that Hextall would be overruled from above, even if Malkin were amenable to being exposed.
And what would be in it for Malkin?
Well, considering that contending for a fourth Stanley Cup ring appears to be of paramount importance to him, the primary selling point likely would be that the Penguins would be able to protect one more significant contributor that they otherwise would be in danger of losing to the Kraken.
Given that the difference between success and failure can be so slight, having -- or missing -- one more quality guy might turn out to be decisive.
And why would Seattle GM Ron Francis hesitate for even a second to claim one of the finest players and proven winners of his generation?
For starters, there is Malkin's $9.5 million salary-cap hit for 2021-22. Even if Francis has clearance to spend to the cap ceiling of $81.5 million, is he going to want to invest more than 10 percent of it in a single player?
And not just any player, but a 35-year-old who would be coming off major knee surgery, whose return-to-play date has not been set and who will be an unrestricted free agent after the coming season.
Oh, and who doesn't have any known ties to the Pacific Northwest, either.
Again, Malkin could snuff any talk of leaving him unprotected simply by enforcing the no-movement clause that he had negotiated into his contract. He has every right to do that, and no one could reasonably begrudge him compelling the Penguins to live up to the terms of their agreement.
And there's no indication Hextall would even want to consider exposing Malkin, or that his bosses would sign off on such a thing.
But if the Penguins, who have lost four consecutive playoff series and haven't made it past the first round since 2018, are truly serious about making a run at the franchise's sixth Cup in 2022, Hextall might have to take a few bold, high-risk gambles.
Really, what does he have to lose?
Except one of the finest players to pass through the NHL during the past few decades, that is.
