One phrase that we don't like to hear is "it's just business." That's code for "we are going to do something that will hurt you, or make you uncomfortable, because it's best for our bottom line."

Evgeni Malkin undoubted suffered hurt feelings when the Pittsburgh Penguins played hardball with him over the length of his next contract. Yesterday, the word was that Malkin was probably headed to free agency.

But disaster for both the Penguins and Malkin was averted last night when the Penguins gave Malkin the fourth year he wanted on a deal that will pay him an average of $6.1 million per season.

Malkin didn't want to leave and the Penguins certainly didn't want to lose him. They are fully committed, chips pushed all in, to trying to win another Stanley Cup championship.

They are more formidable with Malkin than without him. After recovering from knee surgery last season, Malkin netted 20 goals in 41 games. He is 35, but he is a productive 35.

If you have a sentimental side, the signing of Malkin probably means he will spend his entire career as a Penguin. That's the way it should be. He has logged 16 years with the organization, served it well, and maybe he deserved the extra year just for that alone.

As a general rule, especially in a salary cap league, it can hurt a franchise's competitiveness to pay players for past performances. You don't want be paying stars top salaries well beyond their best years.

But giving Malkin the extra year seemed like a reasonable concession for a player who will go down as one of the greatest players in franchise history. Maybe he won't be an exceptional player at 39, but there is a chance.

The real winner in this Malkin deal is general manager Ron Hextall. Once the Penguins committed to continuing to their drive to win a Cup, Hextall managed to keep Bryan Rust, Rickard Rakell, Kris Letang and Malkin for $22.325 million.

At one point, it seemed possible the Penguins might lose three of those four. Nobody would have guessed that Letang would sign for $6.1 million or that Rust would accept $5.125 million per season or that Rakell would take a $5 million average.

Hextall did have to give Letang a six-year deal that will take him into his 40s. But in general terms, these deals are team friendly

Hextall might be the salesman of the year.

It was probably difficult on Malkin to see the Penguins sign those three players and say 'no' to his fourth year for a long time. But in the end, the Penguins and Malkin both received what they needed. Sometimes playing hardball is a winning strategy.

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