http://www.yardbarker.com/nhl/players/kris_letang/23139 Recent articles about Kris Letang en-us Kris Letang has one year remaining on his current contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins, and while he technically may not be going anywhere this year, everybody seemingly has an opinion on what Ray Shero and company need to do with the star defensemen. Should he stay or should he go? Regardless of fan’s opinions, Shero has a lot of work to do before the NHL Draft on June 30th in New Jersey. Letang is just one part of a bunch of moving pieces for the Penguins this offseason. Shero could decide that he wants to make one more run with Letang, even if they cannot come to an agreement, or he could decide to pull the trigger on a trade as soon as the Draft, like he did with Jordan Staal just last season. Only hindsight will tell if Shero makes the right move or not. Photo: penguins.nhl.com If Shero decides he must trade Letang, the Penguins will have a huge void in their top four defensemen, but the return would likely be plentiful. Granted, there is no defensemen in the NHL who is able t... Wed, 19 Jun 2013 22:01:45 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/stay_or_go_kris_letang/13874405 http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/stay_or_go_kris_letang/13874405 Stay or Go: Kris Letang http://www.yardbarker.com/nhl/articles/stay_or_go_kris_letang/13874405 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/8/f/8f5d7ece00f703a106ead9fa0d98078b287fd93d/mini/Pittsburgh_Penguins_v_f0e2.jpg Yesterday evening, TSN's Insider Trading segment revealed scoops about Kris Letang's future, the goaltending rumor mill, the Flyers' buy-outs, Rangers contract issues, Valtteri Filppula's contract demands and other juicy tidbits. This evening's Insider Trading segement, which included James Duthie, Pierre LeBrun, Darren Dreger and Bob McKenzie, discussed the following topics: McKenzie says that either Joe Sakic's being honest about the Avalanche not wanting to bring partially Denver-raised Seth Jones to Denver, and as such, they're trying to cushion the blow that is bringing Nathan McKinnon or Jonathan Drouin to Denver...Or he's posturing in an attempt to convince the Florida Panthers or Tampa Bay Lightning to swap picks. McKenzie doesn't believe that the teams will bite; Continue reading "TSN’s Insider Trading segment for Wednesday" Wed, 19 Jun 2013 19:57:28 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/tsns_insider_trading_segment_for_wednesday/13873868 http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/tsns_insider_trading_segment_for_wednesday/13873868 TSN’s Insider Trading segment for Wednesday http://www.yardbarker.com/nhl/articles/tsns_insider_trading_segment_for_wednesday/13873868 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/4/7/47b9b10d266b7a6e218abf21c29f073c499d40e1/mini/Pittsburgh_Penguins_v_2209.jpg I never know what to make of the Pittsburgh Penguins press's, "Penguins must move core player X to make room for Malkin/Crosby" chatter as it's practically a rite of late spring and early summer, but TSN's Insider Trading gents suggested that Penguins defenseman Kris Letang may be on the move if he doesn't agree to a reasonable contract extension, and, via the Score, the Pittsbrugh Tribune-Review's Rob Rossi suggests that Letang is all but on the trading block: Discussion with Dupuis' agent, Allan Walsh, started this week. Letang's agent, Kent Hughes, had yet to hear from Shero as of Tuesday. That is no accident. Shero is fairly confident Letang has become a must-move player. That is true because Letang is not the consensus best defenseman on the Penguins, at least in the eyes of management and coaches. Continue reading "Is Kris LeTang the Penguins’ latest, “PIT must move player X for Crosby/Malkin’s sake” player?" Wed, 19 Jun 2013 12:02:44 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/is_kris_letang_the_penguins_latest_pit_must_move_player_x_for_crosbymalkins_sake_player/13870370 http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/is_kris_letang_the_penguins_latest_pit_must_move_player_x_for_crosbymalkins_sake_player/13870370 Is Kris LeTang the Penguins’ latest, “PIT must move player X for Crosby/Malkin’s sake” player? http://www.yardbarker.com/nhl/articles/is_kris_letang_the_penguins_latest_pit_must_move_player_x_for_crosbymalkins_sake_player/13870370 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/8/a/8aded635c9e3a03cbbe4713116b26cf10bc41248/mini/GettyImageProxy.ashx_requestUrl_http_3a_2f_2fcache.gettyimages.com_2fxc_2f88586660.jpg_3fv_3d1_26c_3dEWSAsset_26k_3d2_26d_3d17A4AD9FDB9CF1937776ED92A93314C8A6CBE684947A8289.jpg With Evgeni Malkin signing a contract extension last week, Kris Letang's fate has been sealed. The 2013 Norris Trophy finalist will most likely be traded as the Pittsburgh Penguins simply cannot afford to keep Letang under the salary cap. Furthermore, his less-than-stellar playoff performances over the last three years, and his inability to show confidence as the quarterback on the power play, cannot be ignored. Given the fact that Letang will likely command a contract in the $6-7 million range, per year, plus all of the young offensive-defensemen Ray Shero has piled up through the draft and trades, it seems Pittsburgh will likely open 2013-2014 without number 58 on the ice.Assuming that will happen, the Penguins should go with their young defensemen within the system. Simon Despres was solid in the 36 regular season games he played in this season and while there were some growing pains, it was beneficial to his development as a top four defenseman. Despres doesn't have... Tue, 18 Jun 2013 22:57:00 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/time_for_the_penguins_to_use_their_youth_on_defense/13866338 http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/time_for_the_penguins_to_use_their_youth_on_defense/13866338 Time for the Penguins to use their youth on defense http://www.yardbarker.com/nhl/articles/time_for_the_penguins_to_use_their_youth_on_defense/13866338 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/8/a/8aded635c9e3a03cbbe4713116b26cf10bc41248/mini/GettyImageProxy.ashx_requestUrl_http_3a_2f_2fcache.gettyimages.com_2fxc_2f88586660.jpg_3fv_3d1_26c_3dEWSAsset_26k_3d2_26d_3d17A4AD9FDB9CF1937776ED92A93314C8A6CBE684947A8289.jpg If you haven't read part one of Mike Colligan's Kris Letang breakdown, you should. [ THW ] Letang's future is really the main focus of the Penguins off season at this point. After what we saw Mark Streit get from the Flyers today, could Colligan's assertion that the Pens could pay Letang nine-million a year still be in play? Yikes.   Mon, 17 Jun 2013 20:57:10 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/when_letang_was_asked_the_other_day_what_kind_of_money_hed_be_looking_for_in_his_contract/13857485 http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/when_letang_was_asked_the_other_day_what_kind_of_money_hed_be_looking_for_in_his_contract/13857485 When Letang was asked the other day what kind of money he’d be looking for in his contract ... http://www.yardbarker.com/nhl/articles/when_letang_was_asked_the_other_day_what_kind_of_money_hed_be_looking_for_in_his_contract/13857485 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/4/7/47b9b10d266b7a6e218abf21c29f073c499d40e1/mini/Pittsburgh_Penguins_v_2209.jpg Kris Letang will have UFA status July 2014. from Craig Custance of ESPN (paid subscription), As of Thursday afternoon, Letang's camp hadn't heard from Shero but anticipated that negotiations would get serious within the next week. In his comments to the media on Thursday, Shero made it clear that his priority is to sign Letang, but he didn't completely rule out a trade. It's going to come down to negotiations and how much of a discount Letang is willing to provide Pittsburgh to stay with that group. If he hits the market, his ticket would be huge. As a free agent, the starting point would be $7-8 million per season at max length. To stay in Pittsburgh, it may have to be an eight-year deal closer to $6.5 million. Letang understands that the best deal will come on the open market; it's just finding out how big the difference is going to be. Those are conversations the two sides still need to have. And executives around the league will be watching clo... Fri, 14 Jun 2013 13:48:37 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/what_would_it_take_to_keep_letang_in_pittsburgh/13836392 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/what_would_it_take_to_keep_letang_in_pittsburgh/13836392 What Would It Take To Keep Letang In Pittsburgh? http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/articles/what_would_it_take_to_keep_letang_in_pittsburgh/13836392 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/4/7/47b9b10d266b7a6e218abf21c29f073c499d40e1/mini/Pittsburgh_Penguins_v_2209.jpg Follow @GunnerStaal !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs'); Now that the season has officially ended for the Pittsburgh Penguins the focus of their organizat... Fri, 14 Jun 2013 12:29:39 -0400 http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=52112 http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=52112 Ryan Wilson: What should the Penguins do with Kris Letang? http://www.yardbarker.com/nhl/articles/ryan_wilson_what_should_the_penguins_do_with_kris_letang/13835780 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/8/a/8aded635c9e3a03cbbe4713116b26cf10bc41248/mini/GettyImageProxy.ashx_requestUrl_http_3a_2f_2fcache.gettyimages.com_2fxc_2f88586660.jpg_3fv_3d1_26c_3dEWSAsset_26k_3d2_26d_3d17A4AD9FDB9CF1937776ED92A93314C8A6CBE684947A8289.jpg Make sure to follow Travis on Twitter! -- (1) There's inevitably going to be some discussion in a number of front offices -- Ottawa most certainly included -- concerning Pittsburgh D Kris Letang. After Evgeni Malkin reached an eight-year, $76M extension on Thursday morning with the club, the Penguins are working under a tight budget, and Letang's comfortable $3.5M / yr. deal is set to expire at... Thu, 13 Jun 2013 11:23:23 -0400 http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=52092 http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=52092 Travis Yost: Five Thoughts: What About Letang? http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/articles/travis_yost_five_thoughts_what_about_letang/13826804 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/3/b/3bc35198a77fcf326316d9fb870028713c07eab4/mini/Pittsburgh_Penguins_v_eb3c.jpg The What's Next series is part of an ongoing look from the Pens Initiative staff taking a look at the Penguins UFAs, RFAs, and most polarizing personalities heading into the next season.  We look at the year that was and the year coming and wonder: What's Next.He astounds and confounds.  He piles up points and produces cringes.  His hair is as sexy as his points columns, his +/- can be as scary as life without him.  He's soon due for a large raise but what's his worth to the Pens compared to his value?  Should he stay?  Should he go?  It's What's Next for Kris Letang.He's coming off what could be, statistically, his best year.  Unfortunately all we can do is guess or extrapolate this but his Norris nomination says that he either had his best year or is finally being recognized for his impressive body of work since he came into the league in 2007-08.Unfortunately this comes on the heels of Letang having perhaps the worst playoffs of any Penguins star and a... Thu, 13 Jun 2013 09:00:00 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/whats_next_kris_letang_by_nick422/13825799 http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/whats_next_kris_letang_by_nick422/13825799 What's Next: Kris Letang by @Nick422 http://www.yardbarker.com/nhl/articles/whats_next_kris_letang_by_nick422/13825799 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/3/b/3bc35198a77fcf326316d9fb870028713c07eab4/mini/Pittsburgh_Penguins_v_eb3c.jpg $7 million per year. That's the ballpark number that Letang will be able to command in free agency following next season. And that's simply not worth the Pens' time or money, especially when you crunch the numbers and see that the Penguins' decision will undoubtedly come down to re-signing either Evgeni Malkin or Letang to a massive contract. There shouldn't even be a debate about which player the Pens will pick if that is, in fact, the dilemma Shero is facing. As it stands, Shero and Malkin's agent are already in discussions, while Shero and Letang's agent have been putting off extension talks. That may be a good indication of where the Pens currently sit. We're not saying the Pens couldn't afford Letang under the cap, because they probably could fit him in somehow. But it just doesn't make sense in the context of the Pens' roster. They already have big money wrapped up in Crosby, Malkin, Neal, Martin, and Fleury. Just can't see t... Mon, 10 Jun 2013 09:11:06 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/will_kris_letang_be_traded/13800395 http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/will_kris_letang_be_traded/13800395 Will Kris Letang be traded? http://www.yardbarker.com/nhl/articles/will_kris_letang_be_traded/13800395 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/8/f/8f5d7ece00f703a106ead9fa0d98078b287fd93d/mini/Pittsburgh_Penguins_v_f0e2.jpg Via PHT: Like we saw in the game, they don’t really forecheck us, they just wait for us to make mistakes, and we actually gave them what they got, and we have to be better with the puck, without the puck, defensively, in all areas of the game. Curious statement from Letang, and not really sure what he means. Hopefully a reporter asks him a follow up question next time, instead of looking at his hair. Mike Colligan had this piece before the series began. [ THW ] Letang was quoted: Letang: “Boston is similar to Ottawa.  The (first forward) is in really hard on you. The second one is coming in, and the third guy is up high. Their defensemen are conservative on one side, but on the far side they’re aggressive.” LOL WUT? Tue, 04 Jun 2013 17:16:42 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/kris_letang_said_the_bruins_dont_forecheck_is_he_right/13762118 http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/kris_letang_said_the_bruins_dont_forecheck_is_he_right/13762118 Kris Letang said the Bruins don't forecheck. Is he right? http://www.yardbarker.com/nhl/articles/kris_letang_said_the_bruins_dont_forecheck_is_he_right/13762118 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Do you hate good looking defensemen that rack up a lot of points? Well this post is mostly about you, congrats. When it comes to the Pittsburgh Penguins, it seems that some of their players are just easy targets to criticize than others. You never really hear too much criticism aimed at Sidney Crosby and for good reasons. Crosby is a terrific person and a great hockey player who doesn't usually make many mistakesMarc-Andre Fleury has probably been the most criticized player in the past six years of the Penguins' franchise in terms of criticism and being under appreciated. Jordan Staal was in that category as well until he was traded. Of the Pens' core players right now Kris Letang by far takes the cake for the most overly criticized player on the roster.Letang had one of the worst periods of hockey I had ever seen him play in the first period of game four against the Ottawa Senators. Letang was on the ice for two goals against and had less than stellar performances on ea... Tue, 28 May 2013 09:04:00 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/kris_letang_good_outweighs_the_bad_by_madchad412/13771280 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/kris_letang_good_outweighs_the_bad_by_madchad412/13771280 Kris Letang: Good Outweighs the Bad by @MadChad412 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/articles/kris_letang_good_outweighs_the_bad_by_madchad412/13771280 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/4/7/47b9b10d266b7a6e218abf21c29f073c499d40e1/mini/Pittsburgh_Penguins_v_2209.jpg What should we make of the video above where Kris Letang cross-checks an NHL official? As the linesman comes in to separate two players after an icing call, he brushes past Letang and shifts him out of his way. The Pittsburgh defenseman appears to take offense and gives the official a light cross-check in the side.  Some fans are clamoring for Letang to receive some sort of discipline for striking an official. The evidence is there and it's pretty incriminating. You have to imagine that the official would have immediately done something about the situation had he truly felt threatened. Perhaps the official wasn't aware of what actually happened which would explain his lack of a reaction. However, you have to imagine the NHL would be aware of this situation and address it.  Regardless, rule #40 in the NHL rule book states: Any player who deliberately applies physical force to an official in any manner, which physical force is applied without intent to injure, or who sp... Wed, 08 May 2013 14:13:53 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/video_kris_letang_checks_an_nhl_linesman/13576535 http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/video_kris_letang_checks_an_nhl_linesman/13576535 Kris Letang checks an NHL linesman http://www.yardbarker.com/nhl/articles/video_kris_letang_checks_an_nhl_linesman/13576535 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/e/b/ebed930c777a24fefb3d849be3a66bd91d95ebee/mini/letang.jpg In his first game back since getting re-injured on March 26th, and only his 2nd game since March 17th, Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang had one of the best hits of the year.  Letang drilled Tampa Bay Lightning forward Alex Killorn who went flying right into Martin St. Louis after he had just passed St. Louis the puck.  Letang’s momentum then carried him into the two fallen Lightning players and he hit them again for good measure.  Needless to say, naming this the “Subway Sandwich of the Game” is the best name I’ve heard in a while.  Well done, Root Sports.  The Penguins went on to win the game 6-3 and Letang added an assist in the victory. [The Pens Blog] Fri, 12 Apr 2013 18:03:29 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/kris_letang_destroys_two_lightning_players_with_one_check/13385224 http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/kris_letang_destroys_two_lightning_players_with_one_check/13385224 Kris Letang destroys two Lightning players with one check http://www.yardbarker.com/nhl/articles/kris_letang_destroys_two_lightning_players_with_one_check/13385224 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/4/7/47b9b10d266b7a6e218abf21c29f073c499d40e1/mini/Pittsburgh_Penguins_v_2209.jpg After Kris Letang took a hit to the head in the first period of yesterday’s game against Dallas, he never returned to the game.  Today he did travel with the team to Denver but will not be playing with the team on Saturday due to concussion symptoms.  This is not a good thing at all considering he missed a bunch of time earlier in the season due to a concussion.  Coach Byslma said that he will be fully evaluated when they return to Pittsburgh after the game on Saturday. In other news the guy that hit him, Eric Nystrom, heard nothing from the league today, so it seems they think the hit was fine and he will not be fined or suspended, while we lose another player to concussion. Thu, 01 Mar 2012 22:23:49 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/kris_letang_out_with_concussion_symptons/10211641 http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/kris_letang_out_with_concussion_symptons/10211641 Kris Letang out with concussion symptons http://www.yardbarker.com/nhl/articles/kris_letang_out_with_concussion_symptons/10211641 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/4/7/47b9b10d266b7a6e218abf21c29f073c499d40e1/mini/Pittsburgh_Penguins_v_2209.jpg