The simple fact of writing gives chills.
Evgeni Malkin. Montreal. Same sentence.
Same sweater?
And Ivan Demidov who no longer sleeps since he knew that his idol, his model, the living legend at 1346 points, could be exchanged by Pittsburgh next summer.
Are we witnessing the start of the last chapter of the career of one of the greatest Russians in NHL history?
And could this chapter be written in blue white red?
Rumors barely had time to stretch the legs that Montreal is getting carried away.
We are looking for a second center. We are looking for a veteran. We are looking for a mentor. And we are looking for someone capable of guiding Ivan Demidov in their transition to glory.
What if the solution was Evgeni Malkin?
The figures are dreaming.
Three Stanley Cup rings. A Smythe conn. Two Ross art. A Hart.
Yes, this season has been less explosive. 50 points. But in a drift environment, without CAP. In Montreal, in a wardrobe in the middle of hatching, with a Demidov – Caufield duo to feed, we barely dare to imagine.
And above all: imagine the reaction of Demidov.
“I have been watching Malkin since I was 5 years old. I always wanted to be like him.”
These are not words in the air.
These are the words of a young player who, with each training, tries to reproduce the movements of Malkin. Who imitates him even in his posture.
Who knows each goal by heart.
Who still dreams of his feint against Lundqvist at the 2010 Olympic Games.
The idea of bringing them together is not just beautiful.
It is symbolic.
And she could change everything.
Malkin’s contract? One year left, at 6.1 million. He will become a autonomous player in the summer of 2026.
But already, murmurs come out of Pittsburgh.
If Crosby leaves, what will remain in Malkin?
The locker room is cracked. The project is over. Reconstruction is started. And Malkin, at 38, does not want to end up as a figure in a youth project. He wants one last waltz.
He wants the scene. He wants light. He wants fire.
And Montreal could give him all of this.
A feverish audience. A climb team. A coach who lets play. A Russian-friendly locker room with Demidov.
A scenario at Ilya Kovalchuk, but with a living legend still able to get out of elite games.
-And in return?
A modest price, especially if the Penguins want to pay tribute to him by sending him where he will feel alive.
Be careful, we know.
Malkin, this is not the A option.
It is not even option B.
But it would be an… mythical option.
A bridge between two generations. A flash pass. And for Demidov, a unique chance to learn from the best.
Imagine the first game at the Bell Center.
Malkin in the circle. Demidov to his left. Newhook to his right.
And Martin St-Louis who smiles behind the bench.
It may be just a dream.
But in the NHL, some dreams are just a phone call.
And we know a certain Kent Hughes who loves daring calls.
But if the idea of seeing Evgeni Malkin landing in Montreal is still alerant dream for Ivan Demi-Du, behind the scenes, there may be a touch of reality that sneaks between two phone calls.
Because in the felted offices of Brossard, we can already imagine Kent Hughes call his old friend Kyle Dubas, to Pittsburgh, to ask him: “Hey, your Malkin … What are you doing there, if Crosby crowns his camp?” »»
But let’s be serious for two seconds.
Malkin has only one year at 6.1 million. An expiring contract. A perfect contract for a team looking for a second transition center.
The kind of bet that costs almost nothing … if you have the right contacts.
And Kent Hughes, he has it.
And if we really want to push madness to the end, why not pass them on Patrik Laine’s contract in exchange?
A transaction “contract for contract”. An end -of -course deal. Two guys with a year to do, two reputations to restore, two careers to revive.
Wool does not fit with the culture of the Canadian. We said it enough.
But in Pittsburgh, in a team that will surely be rebuilt in the shadow of the end of the Crosby-Malkin era, you can take this kind of risk. You can absorb a contract of 8.6 million if it bought a little time and the CH retains part of the salary.
And Hughes, in good strategist, could take the opportunity to soften the deal with a choice of draft.
A little sugary, just enough to make Dubas believe that he won the exchange. A choice of 3rd round? Maybe.
In short, if Evgeni Malkin wants to end his career in a wardrobe where he is loved, with a young Russian who worship him like a God, in a city who dreams of seeing him raise the Stanley Cup one last time … There are not a thousand scenarios.
The blue-white-red awaits him.
AMEN
