According to reports, Pittsburgh Penguins’ forward Evgeni Malkin may need surgery this offseason. Malkin who played a significant role during the Penguins’ Stanley Cup run will have an MRI on Friday to determine if he will require elbow surgery ahead of next season, according to Shelly Anderson.
“I can’t say right now,” said the 29-year-old Malkin in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “I’ll do an MRI tomorrow and we’ll see. I’m OK because most guys played with injuries. I feel very good.”
Malkin finished the playoffs with 18 points (6g-12a) in 23 games for Pittsburgh – adding four power play goals and a game-winner. Add to that his 58-point regular season in just 57 games and he’s had a pretty impressive year for Pittsburgh.
While he wasn’t the only Penguin (or player league-wide for that matter) that played with an injury during the playoffs, his performance certainly earned the praise of his general manager.
“This is a guy that had a real serious injury that played before most guys would have played and made a contribution to the team,” said Jim Rutherford to the Post-Gazette’s Jenn Menendez. “Just shows his character. It was pretty impressive.”
Even if Malkin requires surgery, the Stanley Cup he helped the Penguins win certainly makes it that much sweeter.
