Penguins' Malkin doesn't require elbow surgery

Evgeni Malkin won't be going under the knife.

The Pittsburgh Penguins forward doesn't require surgery on his left elbow, general manager Jim Rutherford announced Thursday.

Malkin's elbow injury kept him out of the final 15 regular-season games and the first game of the postseason against the New York Rangers.

"This is a guy that had a real serious injury that played before most guys would have played and made a contribution to the team," Rutherford said, according to Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “Just shows his character. It was pretty impressive."

According to Rutherford, the 29-year-old will rehab the elbow over the summer and shouldn't miss any time.