Apr 11, 2025; Newark, New Jersey, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin (71) reacts after scoring a goal against the New Jersey Devils during the first period at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images
On Jul. 31, Pittsburgh Penguins‘ veteran forward Evgeni Malkin turned the ripe age of 39.
Entering his 20th NHL season, Malkin has proven to be one of the NHL’s all-time greats. The future Hall-of-Famer has registered 514 goals and 1,346 in 1,213 career NHL games, and he has graced Pittsburgh and the league with unforgettable moments and dominance over the years.
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There’s no doubt that Malkin is not only one of the greatest NHLers of all time, but also one of the very best Russian-born players of all-time. There is a lot of conjecture concerning where exactly Malkin falls within those ranks, as there are many other names who occupy that space as well – including the guy who just broke Wayne Gretzky’s goal record this season.
So where does Malkin fall within the all-time great Russian-born player ranks?
May 12, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) scores a goal against the Carolina Hurricanes during the third period in game four of the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images
I mean, look: When you’re digging into the point-per-game numbers and into all-around play, Malkin might have a case here.
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But it’s hard to argue against having the NHL’s greatest goal-scorer of all time at the top of the list.
Alexander Ovechkin was drafted first overall by the Washington Capitals in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft – one spot ahead of Malkin, who was selected next by the Penguins – and without the lockout in 2004-05, we might be talking more about Ovechkin’s and Malkin’s careers mirroring each other than about Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby being the biggest marquee matchup in the league for almost two decades. Because of the lockout, Ovechkin and Crosby ended up debuting in the same season in 2005-06, while Malkin debuted one season later.
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In any case, Ovechkin – like Crosby and Malkin – has far exceeded the expectations bestowed upon him at the start of his NHL career. He has scored an all-time best 897 goals while racking up 1,623 points in 1,491 games, and – astoundingly – put up 44 goals in just 65 games last season at age 39.
Malkin may not quite measure up to Ovechkin on the all-time great Russian-born players list, even if 500-plus goals is an impressive accomplishment itself. However, he makes a very compelling case for second on the list.
Mar 18, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin (71) takes the ice against the New York Islanders at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
There is quite the crowded field of players behind Ovechkin at the no. 1 spot along with Malkin, including household names such as Sergei Fedorov, Pavel Datsyuk, Alexander Mogilny, Pavel Bure, Alexei Kovalev, and Ilya Kovalchuk. Each respective player is an all-time great in their own right to some extent, and they were all very productive NHL players.
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However – like Ovechkin at no. 1 – it’s difficult to put anyone else but Malkin in the no. 2 spot. Not only is the three-time Stanley Cup champion second all-time in points by a Russian-born player behind only Ovechkin, he’s also staged to enter the top-25 all-time in scoring by the end of next season, assuming he’s healthy. Injuries have riddled Malkin’s career as much as they have Crosby’s, and the fact that the league is faster than ever – and Malkin’s footspeed is noticeably slow nowadays – probably lend to the argument that he doesn’t have a whole lot left in the tank beyond his current contract, which is set to expire at the end of the 2025-26 season.
In any case – whether this is, indeed, Malkin’s last NHL season or not – Malkin pretty safely holds that no. 2 position. That is, for now.
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There is one current player who may just surpass Malkin on the list by the time he calls it a career, and that is Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov. Kucherov, 32, currently has 357 goals and 994 points in 803 games, and he has five seasons of 100 or more points – including successive seasons of 113, 144, and 121 points in the last three seasons. He also has two Stanley Cup championships under his belt, and he doesn’t appear to be slowing down in terms of production.
Of course, it will be interesting to see how Kucherov ages out. Malkin’s numbers began to dip after the 2022-23 season, when he registered his most recent point-per-game season with 83 points. Kucherov’s style tends to lend itself to longevity a bit more than Malkin’s, but things can become unpredictable as players age.
As of now, though, there’s Ovi, and then there’s Geno. And that doesn’t figure to change for at least another handful of years, if ever.
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Feature image credit: Credit: Charles LeClaire – Imagn Images
