Much like fellow countryman Pavel Datsyuk, Evgeni Malkin plans to return to Russia following his NHL contract. The Pittsburgh Penguins were lucky enough to choose Malkin 2nd overall during the 2004 NHL entry draft, as he and future Hall of Famer Sidney Crosby have led the Penguins to three Stanley Cups during their time with the team. However, all good things must come to an end, as Malkin recently spoke to a Russian reporter stating that he would like to finish his hockey career at home in Russia, once his NHL contract expires of course. <q>It's hard to make plans about a return, he said. I still have two years left on my contract with Pittsburgh. I need to play these two years and see how it goes. The main thing is no injuries, and if, as Pavel Datsyuk says, there's a fire burning, you can't go out and do the number without it.</q> Penguins fans will wince when reading that quote from Malkin, especially since just two years ago, the Russian superstar stated that he would like to retire as a member of the Penguins. <q>Evgeni Malkin said today he would like to retire as a #Penguins player. But. «I understand it's a business. I love this city, I love these fans so much. But if the team wants young blood and new guys & says �you should move on', I'm fine. «I hope I retire here» ⁦@KDKA</q> <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/KDPomp/status/1526636077892653056'> </a></blockquote></div> Malkin is 37 years old, and far removed from being the MVP calibre player he once was, but he still played all 82 games for the Pens last year, putting up an extremely solid 67 points. The day Malkin leaves the NHL and the Penguins will be a sad one, and only time will tell what kind of decision he will make about his future, as he still has two seasons remaining on his contract with the Penguins. Source: Hockey Trade Rumours <a href='https://www.hockeytraderumours.com/nhl-team/pittsburgh-penguins/evgeni-malkin-announces-he-does-not-want-to-retire-with-the-penguins' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Evgeni Malkin announces he doesn't want to retire with the Penguins</a>