Evgeni Malkin wants to run it back one last time in Pittsburgh. Whether he will is anyone’s guess

PITTSBURGH (AP) - The Pittsburgh Penguins took a significant step forward this season, returning to the playoffs after a three-year absence.

To go deeper than the first round will require another leap. Whether Evgeni Malkin gets a chance to be a part of it is anyone's guess. Malkin's included.

The Russian star, who is set to become a free agent in July, would like to return to the Penguins for a 21st and almost certainly final season. Yet Malkin also understands general manager Kyle Dubas is trying to build a roster that will make Pittsburgh a perennial contender, and having a future Hall of Fame forward who will turn 40 in August might not be part of that plan.

"It's not easy for Kyle, maybe he wants new blood here," Malkin said on Friday, less than 48 hours after the Penguins' bounce-back season ended with a Game 6 loss to rival Philadelphia. "I understand business. I understand he wants maybe new team, see new faces here."

Dubas, who has spent months being polite but noncommittal while discussing Malkin's status, enters the offseason with over $45 million in salary cap space. Whether he wants to spend a portion of it on a three-time Stanley Cup winner who is beloved in Pittsburgh but also missed 20 games this season due to injury is uncertain.

What's not is Malkin's commitment to playing next year, even if it's outside of the only NHL organization he's ever known. Malkin finished with 61 points in 56 games after moving from center to wing. He added a pair of goals against the Flyers in a season he described as "not bad."

"It's a little bit tough," he said. "But I feel I can play next year for sure."

Malkin, captain Sidney Crosby and defenseman Kris Letang just finished up their 20th season together, the longest run by a trio of teammates in major North American professional sports. Letang is under contract for two more seasons, while Crosby is eligible for another contract extension this summer.

Crosby, the only player in NHL history to average a point a game in 21 straight years, made it very clear his preference would be to run it back one last time with his good friend.

"For as long as (Malkin's) played here I think he's been part of setting the standard," Crosby said. "And just on top of all the experiences we've shared, you build that belief and trust and bond and that's something you've had over the course of time."

Malkin's future is hardly the only uncertainty the Penguins face. While first-year coach Dan Muse - a finalist for the Jack Adams award as the NHL's Coach of the Year - won raves for his positivity and meticulous preparation, the league's third-highest scoring team also sputtered while falling into a 3-0 hole to the Flyers.

Though Pittsburgh carried play as the series wore on, it was far too late as Philadelphia's younger legs won out in the end, though Crosby doesn't want the bitterness of the way the season ended to blot out all the good things that came along the way.

"A lot of guys had career years, I think that's a reflection of guys' individual play but also as a group," he said.

The list of players who enjoyed breakout seasons included forward Anthony Mantha, who poured in a career-best 33 goals, and forward Egor Chinakov, who had 18 goals in 43 games after being acquired from Columbus in December.

Mantha will be a free agent and figures to be in line for a raise over the $2.5 million he made this season. Chinakov is a restricted free agent, and Pittsburgh would likely match any offer the 25-year-old would receive.

Rookie Ben Kindel, all of 18, scored 17 goals and massive 6-foot-7 forward Elmer Soderblom made an impact after arriving from Detroit.

At the NHL level, the goalie situation is unsettled. Stuart Skinner, brought over in a swap with Edmonton in December, will be a free agent and Arturs Silovs - who backstopped both of Pittsburgh's playoff wins and nearly stole Game 6 in Philadelphia - will be a restricted free agent.

The Penguins have 22-year-old Sergei Murashov waiting in the wings and he will almost certainly receive every opportunity to claim the starting job when training camp begins in September.

It will be four long and likely eventful months until Pittsburgh reconvenes. The club showed tangible proof this year that Dubas' painstaking organizational overhaul is starting to pay off.

The gap between the Penguins and the teams that will take the ice when the second round begins next week is smaller than it was a year ago. Yet it still exists.

Malkin would like to be part of the process of narrowing it even further alongside the two men who have become like brothers.

"I hope we play together one more year," he said. "If not, we have great 20 years together and never forget."