Evgeni Malkin devastated at treatment from the Penguins.

The ongoing situation between the Pittsburgh Penguins and pending unrestricted free agent Evgeni Malkin is rapidly becoming one of the bigger stories around the National Hockey League, and with only a few short days left to get a deal done before the official opening of free agency on July 13th, there is real concern from the Penguins fan base that Malkin could be gone sooner rather than later.

It is not the outcome that the Penguins fan base had been hoping for and according to the latest report on the situation it sounds like Malkin himself may be taking it even worse than the fans are. Recently, one of Malkin's friends revealed to Penguins insider Rob Rossi that the Russian forward was stunned by the fact that he hasn't been able to come to terms on a new deal with the only NHL team that he has ever played for.

"He doesn’t understand how it’s at this point with him not being signed," said Malkin's friend under the condition of anonymity as per The Athletic. "He’s said, 'They don’t think I’m a good player — why?'"

It's one thing to have Malkin's friends expressing how the Russian forward is feeling as a result of all of this, but it is Malkin's own comments on the matter that will truly tug on the heartstrings of the Penguins faithful. After many of his fellow teammates received new contracts of their own over the course of the season, Malkin sent each and everyone of them a congratulatory text. However when they responded with messages suggesting that his contract was likely to be next, Malkin's responses revealed how much this has impacted him psychologically.

"They think I’m not good anymore," responded Malkin via text.

We all know that the world of professional sports can be a ruthless business but I suspect that the legacy Malkin has built in Pittsburgh will far outweigh any concerns most fans might have about signing him to a new contract. Whether or not that will also prove true for the Penguins organization remains to be seen, but this situation has become serious enough that it is also starting to have an impact on other members of the team. According to one league source, Penguins captain Sidney Crosby has personally flown to Florida to visit Malkin due to his concern over his friend's well being during this entire process.

"Sid didn’t go to convince Malkin to sign,” said the source. “He wanted to check on his friend. He was worried about how hard this is on Geno with Geno not feeling wanted anymore."

The Penguins now only have 4 days to get a deal done before Malkin becomes an unrestricted free agent.