Pat Brisson, one of the agents for Penguins prospect Evgeni Malkin, can't make any promises about when his client will get to the NHL, but he can make a prediction.

And he believes Malkin will be with the Penguins for the 2006-07 season.

"My feeling is that Evgeni will want to graduate to the NHL next year," Brisson said. "It makes a lot of sense for him to next year graduate to the NHL."

Malkin, who is under contract to his hometown team, Metallurg Magnitogorsk, in the Russian Super League until 2008, made it known yesterday that he plans to remain with that club this winter.

The Penguins had hoped to lure Malkin, their first-round draft choice in 2004, to Pittsburgh, but any realistic chance of that disappeared when Russian officials refused to participate in the transfer agreement negotiated by the NHL and International Ice Hockey Federation. That agreement establishes the fees NHL clubs must pay to secure the rights to European prospects.

Malkin's contract with Magnitogorsk does not include a provision that allow him out of the deal so he could go to North America, but Brisson believes Malkin will be able to work out a release with club officials.

"He doesn't have an escape clause at this point," Brisson said. "But I don't think Magnitogorsk will hold him back after he gives them an extra season."

The Penguins still were waiting for official word on Malkin's status yesterday, but general manager Craig Patrick said that if he remains in Russia this winter "we'll look to next year, for sure."

What the Penguins won't do, he said, is negotiate directly with Magnitogorsk to secure his release. That would seem to mean that Malkin won't be a Penguin unless he works out a release from the club or the Russian federation accepts the transfer agreement.

Although Penguins officials have contended that Malkin's play last season proved his is capable of stepping into the NHL, Magnitogorsk general manager Gennady Velichkin doesn't agree.

In an interview translated and posted on RusHockey.com, Velichkin suggested that Malkin, who turned 19 July 30, might benefit from more time in Russia. He even suggested that Malkin owes it to various people and entities to stay in Magnitogorsk.

"Evgeni will go to the NHL, eventually," he said. "He's one of the best young Russian players. But, in my opinion, Malkin is not mature enough in order to become a star in the NHL. It's a little too early for Malkin to go.

"Also, he needs to work on his English, as well. But most important, he should return debts to his parents that brought him up, [to] the club that made him a hockey player and spent much power and resources. He should help Magnitogorsk win the championship."

Patrick said Malkin's decision to remain in Russia "doesn't affect anything" the Penguins will do with personnel this season, because they had not penciled him onto their depth chart. Nonetheless, his formal removal from the mix assures that the Penguins will have to find another center to complement Sidney Crosby.

Ryan Malone, a restricted free agent, appears to be the front-runner for that job, but Patrick offered a list of candidates that included Mark Recchi, Rico Fata, Shane Endicott and Kris Beech. And he seemed particularly intrigued by the idea of experimenting with Lasse Pirjeta, a late-season acquisition from Columbus in 2004.

"Lasse showed us quite a bit with his skill," Patrick said. "If you put him with top skill guys, who knows what he might be able to do?"

NOTES -- The Penguins learned yesterday that forwards Milan Kraft and Michal Sivek will spend the coming season in the Czech Republic. The Penguins will retain the NHL rights to both. ... Defenseman Dick Tarnstrom is scheduled to have an arbitration hearing in Toronto this morning. His agent, Mark Stowe, spoke with Craig Patrick yesterday, but reported no progress. "We talked, and agreed to disagree," Stowe said. "There's no change." ... Patrick said, "I have no idea" whether restricted free agents Malone and Brooks Orpik will be signed before training camp opens Sept. 13, and that he has no negotiations scheduled with the agent for either. The Penguins can -- and almost certainly would -- match any offer either player receives from another team. ... Tickets for the Penguins' two preseason games at Mellon Arena -- Sept. 27 against Columbus and Oct. 2 against Washington -- go on sale today at 10 a.m.