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Stars deny tampering with Malkin

Evgeni Malkin

Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin (71) gets off a slap shot in the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Pittsburgh, Monday, March 4, 2013. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

AP

The Dallas Stars deny they tampered with Evgeni Malkin by offering the Penguins star a contract while he was Pittsburgh property.

“We have seen the reports that have surfaced out of Russia claiming that we have tampered and they are completely untrue,” said Stars general manager Jim Nill in a statement to the Dallas Morning News.

“The Dallas Stars organization respects and adheres to all rules and regulations set forth by the National Hockey League and any report that claims otherwise is false.”

Nill’s statement comes in response to an interview that Malkin‘s father, Vladimir, had with Russian newspaper Sovetsky Sport in which he claimed that the Stars offered his son an even bigger contract than the eight-year, $76-million extension he signed with the Penguins in June.

Was Malkin’s father mistaken then? Maybe.

Or, could both men in fact be telling the truth? Earlier today, we suggested it was possible the Stars made a contract offer -- perhaps just an informal “what if we were to give you this?” type of thing -- as part of a trade discussion between the two teams. (Remember, there were rumors.) But that’s purely speculation on our part.

According to Morning News reporter Mike Heika, the NHL does not appear to be investigating this matter any further.