from Mike G. Morreale of NHL.com,

On what he expects from center Evgeni Malkin, who was frustrated with his 72 points (21 goals, 51 assists), minus-25 rating and 89 penalty minutes last season:

"My expectation is for him to be one of the top players in the League. He got off to a great start last year but his play dropped off a little bit as the season went along. I've talked to him and [Mike] went and met with him in the summer. He looks great. He's anxious to get going, so no concerns. He'll be the Evgeni Malkin we expect. When I saw him, I said hello and asked about the meeting that [Mike] had with him earlier in the summer, about his preparation for what he was doing in the offseason and the expectations. It's my understanding the meeting went very well."

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