Evgeni Malkin has played nearly 1,000 regular-season games and another 177 in the playoffs while establishing himself as one of the most prolific players in recent history.

Three Stanley Cups, two scoring titles, a most valuable player award and better than 500 goals and 1,300 points (playoffs included) are ample evidence of his NHL prowess.

He's spent every moment of his 16-season career with the Pittsburgh Penguins, and the relationship he's developed with Sidney Crosby is akin to an icy Batman and Robin.

But all good things come to an end. Maybe.

Malkin will be 36 when the 2022-23 season begins and he's surely feeling the sting of a first-round loss to the New York Rangers as he heads toward summer in the final days of a contract. And it's not beyond reason that team executives Ron Hextall and Brian Burke decide it's not cost-effective to retain the services of a balky-kneed forward who's going to demand a significant chunk of the salary allotment.

Will the Penguins pony up the cash necessary to keep him?

Would he actually consider playing somewhere else for the right price?

The B/R hockey team considered those questions and others on the way to compiling a list of the top landing spots for a sure-fire Hall of Famer who'll be a free agent as of July 1. 

Scroll through to take a look at what we came up with and leave us a viewpoint or two of your own in the comments.

New Jersey Devils

The New Jersey Devils are not the Pittsburgh Penguins.

They've made the playoffs just once in the last 10 seasons and haven't won a postseason series since advancing to the Stanley Cup Final against the Los Angeles Kings in 2012.