Sidney Crosby Says Evgeni Malkin Needs To Be ‘Himself’ For Penguins

Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have led the Pittsburgh Penguins for years and know each other better than any teammates.

Pittsburgh is coming off a rough season where they missed the playoffs once again and are looking to get back there for the first time since the 2021-22 season. A lot of their success will once again depend on the duo of Crosby and Malkin, which has been the case for the last 18 seasons.

Crosby is coming off another great season, scoring 42 goals, dishing out 52 assists, and recording 94 points. The same can be said for Malkin, who had 67 points on 27 goals and 40 assists. There’s no doubt that they can still perform for the Penguins, and Crosby believes in his teammate to continue performing.

Following Thursday’s training camp practice, Crosby explained that he just needs Malkin to be himself for the team to succeed — on and off the ice.

“I think he’s just got to be himself,” Crosby said, as transcribed by NHL.com’s Wes Crosby. “He’s a guy that will keep things light. I think he understands when it’s time to elevate. There’s always certain games or certain times throughout the year where you have to step up. I think he’s always been someone that understands that and can be counted on. So yeah, I think that he leads in a lot of different ways but he just has to be himself.”

Malkin has stepped up time and time again for Pittsburgh. As the duo gets closer to the end, they’ll look to prove the doubters wrong and get the Pens back to the NHL playoffs — and hopefully beyond.

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