Evgeni Malkin insulted by offer from the Penguins.

There has been a great deal of speculation about the changes that will be coming to the Pittsburgh Penguins over the course of the summer, and with Kris Letang, Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust all pending unrestricted free agents at the end of this current season there is good reason for that speculation.

No one truly knows in which direction president of hockey operations Brian Burke and general manager Ron Hextall will take the team moving forward, but for the first time we are now hearing credible rumors of a potential split on the horizon between the Penguins and members of their core. The rumors were first reported this week by Penguins insider Rob Rossi who reported that the representatives for Penguins star forward Evgeni Malkin had been insulted when presented an offer by the Penguins during the course of this season.

From Rossi:

Sources tell The Athletic that Malkin’s camp found an in-season offer “insulting,” an offer of an annual average value around $5 million per season on a multi-season deal.

That offer comes relatively close to a 50% decrease in salary for Malkin who, this season, played out the final year of an 8 year deal that carried an average annual value and salary cap hit of $9.5 million per season. That would mark a drastic decrease in his salary, although it does seem likely that he will have to accept some reduction in pay even on the open market as a free agent.

Following the conclusion of the season Malkin was asked about his future and more specifically about how he would feel if that future were with a team other than the Penguins. Malkin made it clear that he would be happy to remain in Pittsburgh, but also clarified that he would do his best to continue his career elsewhere if it does indeed come down to that.

"It’s business," said Malkin. "I’m ready both ways. If I stay, I’d be so much happy. But if not? Okay, move my family to another city and hope I play my best hockey."

On the surface, an insulting offer does not appear to be a step in the right direction.