Jeff Bassett, Ottawa Sun via AP Team Canada captain and Penguins owner Mario Lemieux chats on a cell phone held by a friend during a break in practice yesterday for the World Cup of Hockey in Ottawa. Click photo for larger image.

Evgeni Malkin, the Penguins' No. 1 choice in the June entry draft, appears to be getting close to accepting a contract.

But not with the Penguins.

Or any other team from North America.

Dmitri Goryachkin, one of Malkin's agents, is in Russia, where he is negotiating terms of a reworked four-year deal with Metallurg Magnitogorsk, Malkin's club in the Russian Super League.

Malkin has four years remaining on a contract he signed in 2003, but Magnitogorsk is trying to convince him to remain in Russia by upgrading the agreement.

Goryachkin said in an e-mail that, when finalized, Malkin's contract "will be record-breaking for any European player of his stature."

Precisely what impact, if any, the new deal might have on Malkin's future with the Penguins is hard to say. NHL teams traditionally have been able to free players from contracts in Europe, but the transfer agreement that governed such movement has expired.

Until a new version is negotiated, each NHL team must negotiate a player's release from his European club.

Although the Penguins have made it clear that they do not object to Malkin spending at least one more season in Russia, there has been some sentiment inside the organization to invite him to training camp this fall.

Whether that still is being considered isn't clear -- general manager Craig Patrick could not be reached for comment yesterday -- but Goryachkin said the point is moot.

"He will not come to the camp under any conditions, as he is unsigned," Goryachkin said, adding that the Penguins "never expressed any interest in signing Evgeni."

He also suggested that Malkin might give serious consideration to remaining in Russia even after the Penguins show interest in opening negotiations.

"The deal with Magnitogorsk looks very competitive to the salaries of top draft picks in the NHL," Goryachkin said.

"Do not forget that, in Russia, the deals are tax-free and, considering lower living expenses, his deal may be way higher than anything in the NHL.

"Magnitogorsk last season lost in the [league] finals and this year they have very high hopes, so, from a sporting aspect, it is more attractive for a young and talented player."

Leaving Southpointe

The Penguins, who contend their long-term survival here hinges on getting a new arena, are in the market for a practice facility, too.

Their five-year agreement with the Iceoplex at Southpointe -- a deal dating to the franchise's emergence from bankruptcy in 1999 -- expired last month. It was extended through the end of August, but staff members have been moving the team's equipment out of Southpointe.

The likelihood that the 2004-05 NHL season will be delayed, if not wiped out, by a labor dispute removes much of the urgency for the Penguins to settle on a practice site, and returning to Southpointe has not been ruled out.

Hussey signs contract

The Penguins signed forward Matt Hussey to a one-year deal worth $400,000 if he plays in the NHL.

Hussey, their ninth-round draft choice in 1998, had two goals and one assist in three games with the Penguins last season, matching his output in 55 games with their Wilkes-Barre/Scranton farm team.