NHL Trade Rumors: Blackhawks ‘Kicking Tires’ On Penguins’ Evgeni Malkin

The NHL rumor mill is in high gear as the draft and free agency approach, and Tuesday gave us one of the wildest rumors yet.

File this one under unlikely to happen.

The Chicago Blackhawks have very little room to maneuver under the salary cap and still need to re-sign forward Andrew Shaw.

They also have very little to offer the Pittsburgh Penguins in return for Malkin. It’s hard to imagine the Hawks parting with Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane or Duncan Keith — the only players on their roster comparable to Malkin’s skill level.

Malkin also is signed through 2022 with a cap hit of $9.5 million and a no-movement clause. That’s a difficult contract to move.

Besides, there’s very little incentive for Pittsburgh to trade Malkin. When healthy, he’s a top-five player in the league and has a proven record of playoff excellence.

The Blackhawks definitely need to bolster their skill and depth at center, but this scenario doesn’t make much sense for either side.

Thumbnail photo via Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports Images