Malkin's Road to Recovery Has Been a Tough One

Evgeni Malkin spoke with the media for the first time this season on Wednesday, and in typical open, honest and entertaining Geno fashion, he did not disappoint. Here's what the 35-year-old franchise forward had to say as he progresses towards his season debut following offseason knee surgery in June.

ON HIS RETURN DATE

After first joining his teammates for practice in a no-contact fashion back on Nov. 29, Malkin progressed to full contact on Monday, and has been skating in that capacity ever since.
"Every day I feel it's better and better," Malkin said. "The last six months, it's not fun, it's not easy. My knee injury, it's a long process. I had surgery after last season and it's slow every day, but now it's more fun. Glad to be back with the team, and I hope I play soon."
That date won't be as soon as Sunday, with Malkin ruling himself out for Pittsburgh's game against San Jose that's scheduled for 1 PM at PPG Paints Arena. While Malkin can't say with 100% certainty when he'll return, he does hope "next week, maybe 10 days."
The team hits the road next month for a lengthy trip that includes games in Dallas (Jan. 8), Anaheim (Jan. 11), Los Angeles (Jan. 13), San Jose (Jan. 15) and Vegas (Jan. 17), and Malkin feels there's a chance he could debut in one of those contests.
"When we have the long West Coast trip, maybe one of those games, for sure," he said.

ON HIS LONG ROAD TO RECOVERY

Malkin thoughtfully reflected back on the journey he's been on ever since first injuring his right knee in a collision with Bruins defenseman Jarrod Tinordi back on March 16.
"I did an MRI the next day, and we had a discussion with the doc," Malkin said. "It's a hard discussion. He said you can try to play without surgery, just like, it's your option."
Malkin ultimately decided not to go under the knife, and was given a status of week-to-week as he worked towards a return, playing in the final three regular-season games after missing 23 consecutive contests. Unfortunately, Malkin tweaked something in the finale, and ended up missing Games 1 and 2 of the First Round against the New York Islanders before playing the remainder of the series.

"I want to play in playoffs last year," Malkin said. "I think we had a great team and we had a great chance. (I played a) couple times with the knee brace and felt fine. Only a little bit worried when somebody hit me in the corner and my knee is not strong enough."
After the Penguins were eliminated in Game 6 on May 26, Malkin and the team's medical staff reassessed his injury. This time, he made the decision to undergo surgery, which was successfully performed on June 4.
"I did the MRI again and the second MRI shows a little bit worse and it's a hard choice, again," Malkin said. "But we talk a couple days and it's like yeah, we need to do surgery. Because of course, I want to play maybe like 3-4 years more, and I don't want to worry every game about my knee because now my knee is like 200% stronger."
This isn't the first time Malkin has dealt with a significant knee injury. He tore his ACL and MCL in a collision with Sabres defenseman Tyler Myers back on Feb. 4, 2011, and was given a similar timeframe for recovery. The injury was an eye-opener for the young Russian, as it made him realize just how badly he wanted to be on the ice with his teammates and how much he wanted to get back to playing his best for them.
So Malkin trained relentlessly to regain his form, and went on to score 50 goals and 109 points in the 2011-12 campaign, winning the Hart Trophy (league MVP), Art Ross Trophy (scoring champion) and Ted Lindsay Award (outstanding player as voted by his peers).
"One positive thing is the last time I had a knee injury I came back and had my best year," Malkin said. "I look forward, I look the same way. I have a tough six months, but look forward."

ON HIS CONTRACT STATUS

Malkin is in the final season of the eight-year contract extension he signed back in June 2013 that has an average annual value of $9.5 million. But unlike Snoop Dogg's verse in the song Gin and Juice, Malkin's mind is not on his money, and his money is not on his mind.
"I'm not thinking about my contract. I'm not thinking about money. I'm a pretty rich guy," Malkin said with a laugh.
His main focus right now is putting this tough half year behind him, and returning to the level of play Malkin knows he is capable of. He likes what he's seen from the group, who was on a 12-2-1 tear that included a seven-game win streak heading into the schedule postponements, and believes they're capable of making a run.
"This year, we still have a chance to play in the Finals, for sure," Malkin said. "I'm glad with what I see on our team, and I hope I give more power to this group. We have a great group, we have great coaches, and I miss hockey so much. I want to enjoy every game. I know it's a little bit not easy, but I want to play 3-4 more years, and I feel like I can."