Evgeni Malkin Punished by the NHL Department of Player Safety

The Pittsburgh Penguins have been rolling early in the year, and for the most part, it comes on the back of their veteran core, with Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby once again leading the way.

On Saturday, the team came up short against the Winnipeg Jets, falling to 8-3-2 on the year, with the team now tied with the New Jersey Devils for first place in the Metropolitan Division.

However, it wasn't the only bad news to come out of the game, as veteran Evgeni Malkin drew the attention of the NHL's Department of Player Safety, who have handed down a major punishment.

During the game, Malkin was in a puck battle with Logan Stanley on the boards, as he ended up slashing the Jets defenseman on the hands, and now, the NHL's DoPS have handed down the maximum allowable fine in the CBA at $5,000.

This fine likely isn't going to effect Malkin too much, and given how he's played this season, it appears he's focused on having an incredible and potentially final campaign with the Penguins, but given the slash, it's safe to say that this was the right fine for the Department of Player Safety to hand down.

Ultimately, very little has slowed down the Penguins momentum in 2025/26, and that includes this fine to Malkin, who has 18 points in 13 games to this point, and if he and Crosby continue to play at this level, this could be a very fun year in Pittsburgh.