The Evgeni Malkin dilemma is hanging over the Penguins and Kyle Dubas

MONTREAL -- One doesn't need to be a qualified mathematician to produce a parallel on the past two weeks.

Check out the numbers:

Evgeni Malkin has missed the past seven games with an undisclosed injury.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have lost seven games in a row following an unexpectedly sensational start to the season.

Malkin, 39 and in the final season of his contract, has produced a very impressive 29 points in 26 games. He's been good on the power play. He's been a playmaking dynamo on the second line, elevating Anthony Mantha and Justin Brazeau to a place they certainly haven't experienced in his absence.

Given that Malkin is a franchise icon and is proving that he's still a perfectly capable top-six center, the Penguins have to bring him back, right?

And given that they have an enormous amount of projected salary-cap space next summer -- we're talking north of $50 million -- bringing him back makes even more sense, right?

Then, there's this: Sidney Crosby is the furthest player from a diva I can fathom, but still, it's always in the best interest of the Penguins to keep him happy so that the persistent trade talk, which was escalated by his agent, goes away for good. Having Malkin by his side for another year or two would do the trick. As synonymous as Crosby and Malkin are on the ice as one of the great duos in hockey history, they're every bit as close off the ice.

So, it's got to be a done deal, right?

Kyle Dubas even said earlier this season that he will speak with Malkin's representatives during the Olympic break, and perhaps a decision regarding his future with the team will be agreed upon at that time.

I reported in June that the Penguins weren't intending on bringing Malkin back following the final season of his contract, that they had decided it was time to move on, to get younger, to get faster, to finally begin to turn the page on one of the great eras of franchise history, which had turned terribly stale in recent seasons.

As far as I know, those thoughts haven't changed.

Still, I don't think anyone in the Penguins' organization expected Malkin to go through a third of the season producing at a better than a point-per-game clip. Maybe that changes things, maybe it doesn't.

I also know for an absolute fact that Malkin would love to return for another year. He hasn't spoken often with the media this season, but when he does, Malkin goes out of his way to bring up his contractual situation. His affection for the Penguins and the city can't be contained when he speaks in those moments. Playing for the Penguins has been the best time of his life, and he doesn't want it to end. There is a very admirable vulnerability that oozes from Malkin in those moments, which partially explains why Malkin is so beloved in Pittsburgh. There is nothing phony about him. There is simply a visceral desire to play for the Penguins and return them to glory again before his body gives out.

It's admirable and, on the surface, it seems like a sensible move.

But is it the right move?

Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. And that's the problem. That's why being Dubas, while lucrative, isn't easy.

Yes, Malkin is having a wonderful season. No one is disputing that. He's also 39 and playing on a knee that's undergone two reconstructive surgeries. Are we to believe that Malkin's body will hold up much longer? That he'll be this good a year from now, when he's 40?

There's something bigger going on here, too.

Don't the Penguins need to turn the page at some point? Yes, they've been a feel-good story this season. Well, until late in the afternoon on Dec. 7, when a Dallas Stars comeback seems to have triggered something truly terrible in their performance.

There is something to keep in mind, though. Those surprising wins in October and November were not the doing of a new generation. We didn't see a calvary of young players thriving and giving the Penguins great hope for the future.

Other than Ben Kindel, we didn't see that at all.

Kindel has been a revelation and looks as if he's going to be a very impactful player for a long time. Other than him, however, the Penguins had been winning because of the old guard.

Crosby has cooled, but he's still on pace to produce one of the best goal-scoring seasons of his career. He's 38.

Bryan Rust hasn't been himself lately, but again, he's still a highly productive player for the Penguins. He's 33.

Rickard Rakell started strong before an injury kept him out, and he's been off in his return. Still, he's a huge part of this team. He's 32.

Erik Karlsson has enjoyed a major resurgence and has been the Penguins' best defenseman by far. He's 35.

Other than Crosby and Rust, no Penguins player has scored more goals than Mantha. He's 31.

The Penguins' best goalie this season was 30-year-old Tristan Jarry, who just got traded.

And the team hasn't been the same since Malkin, 39, was injured.

So, really, the Penguins haven't been riding a bunch of fresh-faced youngsters who are restoring the franchise's name one day at a time. They've been a great story, yes, but they've been a great story because the old guys are having bounce-back seasons.

Bringing back Malkin isn't a terrible idea by any stretch, and Dubas could probably have him for cheap. He can still play.

But at some point, you need to elevate Kindel to a more prominent role. He's already one of the Penguins' best players. He's already deserving of a spot on the top power play. He's already one of the Penguins' best three-on-three players (low bar there, I know). He's already one of their best penalty killers. He's a natural center and is already emerging as a top-six player. Does having Kindel play a bottom-six role behind Crosby and Malkin a year from now really make much sense?

Crosby is different because, despite his recent funk, he remains great. Malkin remains productive. There is a difference between the two.

If you're a Malkin fan -- there are many of you and you're delightfully vocal -- you'll want your man back at all costs. I get it. Franchise icons shouldn't have to be shown the door. I'm quite fond of him myself.

If you're Dubas, you've devoted so much time and energy toward the future that bringing back a player who turns 40 next summer feels like madness, no matter how productive he's been. Why delay the inevitable even more?

There aren't any easy answers here. There were never going to be. Rebuilding is hard. Rebuilding with a bunch of Hall of Famers still on the roster is asking for trouble. Someone's feelings are going to get hurt here. It might be Malkin's. It might be the fan base's feelings. It might be Kindel's.

Dubas has done a magnificent job of drafting, of adding future assets and of positioning the Penguins for the future. The wonderful start to the season -- and make no mistake, Malkin has played a huge role in this -- has probably complicated things in the minds of the fan base and maybe even his players.

It's up to Dubas to decipher what's right for his franchise moving forward. The decisions he must make will not be easy.