Penguins' Evgeni Malkin: Will miss at least two months

Penguins general manager Ron Hextall announced Thursday that Malkin (knee) will miss at least the first two months of the season.

The news suggests Malkin will miss the Penguins' first 22 regular-season games at a minimum, which is obviously something fantasy managers will need to take into account when considering the 35-year-old pivot on draft day. With Malkin and Sidney Crosby (wrist) both set to miss regular-season action, Jeff Carter and Teddy Blueger are currently set to open the campaign as Pittsburgh's top-two centers. Although Malkin is set to miss extended time, if he's able to return shortly thereafter, he'll still be more than capable of doing plenty of damage from December onward, as evidenced by the 24 goals and 62 points he racked up in 55 games last season.