NHL Rumors: Penguins moving on from Evgeni Malkin

When Kyle Dubas took over the Pittsburgh Penguins, he knew there were going to be some really tough decisions with some long-standing veterans, and his toughest decision yet is apparently coming this week.

There's rumors floating around that Malkin's reps and Dubas are meeting this week, and word is, Dubas is going to inform his camp that the team will be looking to move off of Malkin this summer, and head down a different direction.

Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust has reportedly vouched for Malkin to return to Dubas recently once the Pens were eliminated, but at the end of the day, of course, it's going to be Dubas' decision. Considering Malkin was a point-per-game player during the regular season, perhaps they could find some common ground on a one-year, very cheap contract, but it will be interesting to see if Malkin doesn't mind being lowballed.

As far as potential destinations if the Pens move on, the Washington Capitals are the most likely team, as Malkin's very close with Alex Ovechkin, and would be very motivated to play a ton against his former team. There's also the Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, New Jersey Devils, and Minnesota Wild, who will all have interest in the future hall-of-famer.

For now, it appears Malkin won't be returning to Pittsburgh, unless something drastically changes. Dubas is going to receive a ton of flack if he's responsible for breaking up the Crosby/Malkin era.

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