Malkin agreed to a four-year, $24.4 million contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins on July 12, 2022 (average annual value of $6.1 million) that virtually assures he will finish his NHL career with the Penguins. He scored in his 1,000th NHL game, a 5-3 win against the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center on Nov. 20. The following season at 36 years and 163 days, he became the oldest Penguins player with a four-point game since Bill Guerin (39 years, 44 days; Dec. 23, 2009) in a 5-4 victory against the Vancouver Canucks on Jan. 10, 2023.

At age 38, Malkin was still going strong. He had two assists in a 4-2 loss at the Toronto Maple Leafs on Oct. 12, 2024, to become the third player in Penguins history to reach the 1,300-point milestone, following Mario Lemieux (1,723) and Sidney Crosby. He was the 34th skater in NHL history with 800 assists and first Russia-born player to achieve the milestone. Four days later, Malkin joined the 500-goal club when he knocked in a rebound of his own shot while on his back on the ice, after diving to the net to take a backhand feed from Crosby along the boards at 3:26 of the third period in the Penguins' 6-5 overtime win against the Buffalo Sabres at PPG Paints Arena.

Malkin became the 23rd player in NHL history to reach 1,400 points when he scored at 5:51 of the second period in a 9-4 win against the Florida Panthers on April 4, 2026. He was the fifth player born outside of North America to reach the milestone, following Jaromir Jagr (1,921), Ovechkin (1,682), Stan Mikita (1,467) and Teemu Selanne (1,457).

The No. 2 pick of the 2004 NHL Draft, after the Washington Capitals selected Alex Ovechkin, played two more seasons in his native Russia before coming to North America for the 2006-07 season. His NHL debut was delayed until Oct. 18, 2006 because of a shoulder injury sustained in training camp, but he scored against future Hockey Hall of Fame goalie Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils in his first NHL game.

Malkin went on to set a modern-day NHL record with at least one goal in the first six games of his career. The only other players to accomplish the feat were Joe Malone and Newsy Lalonde of the Montreal Canadiens and Cy Denneny of the Ottawa Senators, all in 1917-18, the League's inaugural season.

That was the first of many notable NHL accomplishments for Malkin, who won the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie following a 33-goal, 85-point season. He has won three Stanley Cup championships with the Penguins (2009, 2016, 2017) as well as the Hart Trophy as the NHL's MVP (2011-12), the Art Ross Trophy as the League's leading scorer twice (2008-09, 2011-12), the Ted Lindsay Award as the top player in the NHL as selected by the players (2011-12) and the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP (2009).

Malkin also has won three gold medals, four silver medals and four bronze medals playing for his country at the IIHF World Under-18 Championship, the World Junior Championship and the World Championship.

Malkin has surpassed 100 points in a season three times (2007-08, 2008-09, 2011-12), including an NHL career-high 113 points (35 goals, 78 assists) in 2008-09, and scored 50 goals in 2011-12.

He has produced in the Stanley Cup Playoffs as well. Malkin won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2009 with a 14-goal, 36-point postseason performance that helped Pittsburgh dethrone the defending champion Detroit Red Wings.

He had 18 points (six goals, 12 assists) in the 2016 playoffs to help the Penguins win the Stanley Cup, then led all scorers in 2017 with 28 points (10 goals, 18 assists) to help Pittsburgh become the first team to repeat as champion since the Red Wings in 1997 and 1998.