Malkin pokes fun at Orlov, Sergachev during pause

Evgeni Malkin may need time to get his game ready if the 2019-20 NHL season resumes, but his sense of humor was a sharp as ever during a videoconference arranged by the NHL on Tuesday.

The Pittsburgh Penguins center, who is in Miami with the NHL season paused since March 12 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus, kept things light with fellow Russia-born players and defensemen Dmitry Orlov of the Washington Capitals and Mikhail Sergachev of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Sergachev was asked what made Malkin so difficult to play against, and Malkin didn't miss a chance to joke around.

"Obviously, the guy's hockey IQ is over the roof," Sergachev said. "All those little passes ..."

Malkin interrupted. "Yes, yes, talk more about it, elaborate," he said. "Don't stop."

When Sergachev said, "I won't," Malkin responded, "Let me take off the earphones so I can't hear it."

When he was asked to compliment Orlov and Sergachev, Malkin got in a few more jabs.

"I'd rather not praise them too highly, but these are players with high hockey intellect," Malkin said. "Both understand hockey well and skate well. The game has changed a lot lately. Defensemen have become way more mobile and durable, so they can digest big minutes on the ice. I think hockey is progressing in the way of how people skate, and I think Mikhail and Dmitry are very mobile. They play against the best offensive players, other team's leaders, and of course it's not easy. But I've scored on both Washington and Tampa, so ..."

He also got a kick out of Sergachev saying he said he has spent some time during the pause walking with his Lightning teammates in Tampa.

"Look how friendly that team is," Malkin said. "They even walk outside together."

Malkin didn't spare host Paul Strizhevsky, a columnist for NHL.com/ru, when he was asked which teammate he would most like to join in self-quarantine.

"How can you ask a question like this?" Malkin said. "We're on quarantine for the past month and a half. How could you spend so much time with another guy?"

When Orlov, who is in Moscow, was asked the same question by Strizhevsky, he said, "None, to be honest. We spend enough time with the teammates."

Malkin then chimed in. "They (my teammates) text me; I don't even read their messages," he said.

There is no timetable for when the season might resume, and even though he can't wait to get back to playing hockey, Malkin has found some solace in the pause.

"Best thing that happened to me is I got plenty of sleep. I spent a lot of time with my family, my kid. I think we became real friends with him," Malkin said about his 3-year-old son, Nikita. "I try to put him on roller skates now. I wish he can skate on the ice by the time [the pause] is over."

He also had some sincere words for hockey fans.

"I wish everyone to stay healthy," Malkin said. "Be careful, listen to the doctors, it's better to stay at home these days. I hope we'll be back soon."