News Article: Kovacevic: Time to trade Letang could be now

[Waffle Fries]

I don't buy that his value is all that low. Just because we are complaining about him doesn't mean NHL GM's feel the same way. He was just a Norris candidate and has 9 goals in 31 games, despite playing like ass. I think most will see the potential and jump all over acquiring that type of player. And again, trading him isn't about him sucking or not being a great player, it's that our D is strong is still strong without him and we have obvious needs up front. It would sting to lose him, but it's the type of risky move that could pay off huge for this team now and in the future.

And trading him for anything less than a Landeskog type return could really hurt this team, both now and the future.

If Letang were playing at his best right now, no one would even think about trading him. We'd end up losing any trade with him in it because we aren't getting that elite winger back.

 

[mpp9]

And trading him for anything less than a Landeskog type return could really hurt this team, both now and the future.

If Letang were playing at his best right now, no one would even think about trading him. We'd end up losing any trade with him in it because we aren't getting that elite winger back.

ROR is fine with me. Letang's the type of return Roy would be looking for. And ROR's 200 ft game combined with his transition to wing and leading his team in goals would be a return that Shero would think about.

Offensive D-man for soon to be elite two way forward.

 

[Shady Machine]

And trading him for anything less than a Landeskog type return could really hurt this team, both now and the future.

If Letang were playing at his best right now, no one would even think about trading him. We'd end up losing any trade with him in it because we aren't getting that elite winger back.

What do you consider elite? I'd trade him and a pick or minor prospect like Sammy for O'Reilly, McGinn for example (not sure if COL could afford to lose 2 top 9 forwards ). That would set the Penguins team long term. It gives you all of your top 9 forwards for 3 seasons. That would end the need to do any rental deals (except for in the case of serious injuries) and let this team continue to grow together.

Kunitz-Crosby-O'Reilly
Jokinen-Malkin-Neal
McGinn-Sutter-Bennett
Glass-Vitale-Adams (because Bylsma)

Orpik-Martin
Scuderi-Niskanen
Maatta-Bortuzzo
Despres

Then next year you have:

Kunitz-Crosby-O'Reilly
Bennett-Malkin-Neal
McGinn-Sutter-Dupuis
Megna-Vitale-Sill (for example)

Maatta-Martin
Scuderi-Niskanen
Despres-Bortuzzo
Dumo

Don't get me wrong, I don't want to trade Letang, per se, but that trade makes us a better team for the next 3 years than having Letang, trading Despres for a rental, and figuring out which reclamation project to slide into a winger spot with Sid or Sutter.

 

[mpp9]

What do you consider elite? I'd trade him and a pick or minor prospect like Sammy for O'Reilly, McGinn for example (not sure if COL could afford to lose 2 top 9 forwards ). That would set the Penguins team long term. It gives you all of your top 9 forwards for 3 seasons. That would end the need to do any rental deals (except for in the case of serious injuries) and let this team continue to grow together.

Kunitz-Crosby-O'Reilly
Jokinen-Malkin-Neal
McGinn-Sutter-Bennett
Glass-Vitale-Adams (because Bylsma)

Orpik-Martin
Scuderi-Niskanen
Maatta-Bortuzzo
Despres

Then next year you have:

Kunitz-Crosby-O'Reilly
Bennett-Malkin-Neal
McGinn-Sutter-Dupuis
Megna-Vitale-Sill (for example)

Maatta-Martin
Scuderi-Niskanen
Despres-Bortuzzo
Dumo

Don't get me wrong, I don't want to trade Letang, per se, but that trade makes us a better team for the next 3 years than having Letang, trading Despres for a rental, and figuring out which reclamation project to slide into a winger spot with Sid or Sutter.

Yep. That trade makes us a better team now and longterm.

 

[ds246pit]

What do you consider elite? I'd trade him and a pick or minor prospect like Sammy for O'Reilly, McGinn for example (not sure if COL could afford to lose 2 top 9 forwards ). That would set the Penguins team long term. It gives you all of your top 9 forwards for 3 seasons. That would end the need to do any rental deals (except for in the case of serious injuries) and let this team continue to grow together.

Kunitz-Crosby-O'Reilly
Jokinen-Malkin-Neal
McGinn-Sutter-Bennett
Glass-Vitale-Adams (because Bylsma)

Orpik-Martin
Scuderi-Niskanen
Maatta-Bortuzzo
Despres

Then next year you have:

Kunitz-Crosby-O'Reilly
Bennett-Malkin-Neal
McGinn-Sutter-Dupuis
Megna-Vitale-Sill (for example)

Maatta-Martin
Scuderi-Niskanen
Despres-Bortuzzo
Dumo

Don't get me wrong, I don't want to trade Letang, per se, but that trade makes us a better team for the next 3 years than having Letang, trading Despres for a rental, and figuring out which reclamation project to slide into a winger spot with Sid or Sutter.

Yes Please! Shady, make that deal happen would you? That would even leave options to go out and acquire players under the cap if we really wanted to upgrade the bottom 6 even more next season. In addition it lets us re-sign Sutter and Niskanen without much problem.

 

[Waffle Fries]

ROR is fine with me. Letang's the type of return Roy would be looking for. And ROR's 200 ft game combined with his transition to wing and leading his team in goals would be a return that Shero would think about.

Offensive D-man for soon to be elite two way forward.

What do you consider elite? I'd trade him and a pick or minor prospect like Sammy for O'Reilly, McGinn for example (not sure if COL could afford to lose 2 top 9 forwards ). That would set the Penguins team long term. It gives you all of your top 9 forwards for 3 seasons. That would end the need to do any rental deals (except for in the case of serious injuries) and let this team continue to grow together.

Kunitz-Crosby-O'Reilly
Jokinen-Malkin-Neal
McGinn-Sutter-Bennett
Glass-Vitale-Adams (because Bylsma)

Orpik-Martin
Scuderi-Niskanen
Maatta-Bortuzzo
Despres

Then next year you have:

Kunitz-Crosby-O'Reilly
Bennett-Malkin-Neal
McGinn-Sutter-Dupuis
Megna-Vitale-Sill (for example)

Maatta-Martin
Scuderi-Niskanen
Despres-Bortuzzo
Dumo

Don't get me wrong, I don't want to trade Letang, per se, but that trade makes us a better team for the next 3 years than having Letang, trading Despres for a rental, and figuring out which reclamation project to slide into a winger spot with Sid or Sutter.

Lebrun said a few days ago that ROR won't be moved. I don't see ROR as an elite forward. He's a good two-way guy who can put up about 55-60 points. I think Letang is worth more than that. I also don't like the idea of Niskanen being one of our top four defensemen.

 

[vyktor]

Letang has been part of the reason for collapses in the playoffs ever since we won the cup, and back then he was 6th in ES icetime and received the lowest QOC matchups of all.
Not arguing that Niskanen has not certainly had his struggles also, and more so than Letang, but he legitimately looks better than ever this season, and Letang clearly does not merit the proven playoff warrior tag. Never mind piling up assists in series where the Pens scored at an almost historic rate.

Well this got glossed right over. Ever since RS let the shutdown pairing from the cup go and made Letang and Orpik top 4 guys by default the D has sucked in the post season. He tried to address it adding M&M. But ever since Gonch left the D has lacked a leader, Brooks 'do as I say' while being one of the worst offenders shows in that the D completely lacks discipline and focus.

A defender as well paid as Letang should be a steadying influence on the backend, and he is not.

 

[Shady Machine]

Lebrun said a few days ago that ROR won't be moved. I don't see ROR as an elite forward. He's a good two-way guy who can put up about 55-60 points. I think Letang is worth more than that. I also don't like the idea of Niskanen being one of our top four defensemen.

He's elite defensively and can put up 60 points. That's just fine with me. As far as Niskanen, would you be comfortable with Despres and Maatta in the top 4? If so, then keep Niskanen on the bottom pair.

 

[AjaxTelamon]

And trading him for anything less than a Landeskog type return could really hurt this team, both now and the future.

If Letang were playing at his best right now, no one would even think about trading him. We'd end up losing any trade with him in it because we aren't getting that elite winger back.

That is very true, Letang is an elite player, and his cost certainty is HUGE. With the recent news about the salary cap, we can expect numbers to hit 70+ next year, and 80+ the following year, with an expected cap of 100 mil by 2022 when Letang's contract expires. So if we look at a snapshot of the cap when he, along with Crosby, Malkin and Neal have hit their primes, let's say age 28-29, that would be 2015-2016, here are our signed and controlled players:

CAPGEEK.COM ARMCHAIR GM ROSTER
CapGeek Armchair GM Roster
FORWARDS
Chris Kunitz ($3.850m) / Sidney Crosby ($8.700m) /
Beau Bennett ($0.900m) / Evgeni Malkin ($9.500m) / James Neal ($5.000m)
Pascal Dupuis ($3.750m) / Brandon Sutter ($2.700m) / Jayson Megna ($0.874m)
DEFENSEMEN
Kris Letang ($7.250m) / Rob Scuderi ($3.375m)
Robert Bortuzzo ($0.600m) / Olli Maatta ($0.894m)
Scott Harrington ($0.589m) / Derrick Pouliot ($0.894m)
Simon Despres ($0.851m) /
------
CAPGEEK.COM TOTALS (follow @capgeek on Twitter)
(estimations for 2014-15)
SALARY CAP: $81,100,000; CAP PAYROLL: $49,727,125; BONUSES: $732,500
CAP SPACE (15-man roster): $31,372,875

That cap space is silly, silly good, even when you consider raises for the ELC guys. Our luck in terms of the timing of extending our star players could not have been better. Complain as much as you like about Shero, but he's managed to keep all our big assets aside from Staal who wanted out, and when our players hit their primes, we will have tons of money to fill the other slots.

When you talk about a guy like ROR, he's not long-term cost controlled, and his current deal is a mess due to the offer sheet situation (a 22 year old making 6.5 mil, thanks a lot Calgary). That has a big effect on his value.

Any trade nowadays needs to be balanced not only from a value perspective, but also must be balanced from a contract/term perspective. Guys signed long term before the news about the big cap increases have MUCH more value than guys not signed. Shero knows that. He's not trading Letang for ROR. Landeskog is more the kind of value Shero would want (though his contract is even better than Letang's). So bottom line, a deal involving Letang is very unlikely to happen.

Wait until you see Subban's next deal. You'll be happy you have Letang.

 

[IcedCapp]

Lebrun said a few days ago that ROR won't be moved. I don't see ROR as an elite forward. He's a good two-way guy who can put up about 55-60 points. I think Letang is worth more than that. I also don't like the idea of Niskanen being one of our top four defensemen.

That's not what he said.

 

[mpp9]

Lebrun said a few days ago that ROR won't be moved. I don't see ROR as an elite forward. He's a good two-way guy who can put up about 55-60 points. I think Letang is worth more than that. I also don't like the idea of Niskanen being one of our top four defensemen.

Everyone's said they'd be surprised if he was moved. If Letang were made available? I would think Roy considers it.

The Avs don't have a 2nd pairing. Letang can eat up minutes with Hejda/EJ taking on the tough matchups.

 

[PensFanSince1989]

Yes Please.

 

[PensFanSince1989]

I wonder if Edmonton would be interested in Letang. They need Defence.

 

[gordie]

I wonder if Edmonton would be interested in Letang. They need Defence.

With Darnell Nurse in their system???

 

[Gallatin]

Lebrun said a few days ago that ROR won't be moved. I don't see ROR as an elite forward. He's a good two-way guy who can put up about 55-60 points. I think Letang is worth more than that. I also don't like the idea of Niskanen being one of our top four defensemen.

ROR is not yet in his prime, looking great scoring at a 30 goal pace his 1st season on the wing, and is an elite puck hound who does all the little things along with superior defense and board work.

He is a great and valuable player that fits everything our management craves in a player, except elite skating. He would immediately turn Geno's line into the undisputed top unit in the league, and would probably look great next to Sid assuming he could transition from LW/C to RW.

 

[trooper66]

Eberle.

I am not saying I woulf like to see letang traded but if so I agree with the above post for sure.

 

[SEALBound]

What do you consider elite? I'd trade him and a pick or minor prospect like Sammy for O'Reilly, McGinn for example (not sure if COL could afford to lose 2 top 9 forwards ). That would set the Penguins team long term. It gives you all of your top 9 forwards for 3 seasons. That would end the need to do any rental deals (except for in the case of serious injuries) and let this team continue to grow together.

Kunitz-Crosby-O'Reilly
Jokinen-Malkin-Neal
McGinn-Sutter-Bennett
Glass-Vitale-Adams (because Bylsma)

Orpik-Martin
Scuderi-Niskanen
Maatta-Bortuzzo
Despres

Then next year you have:

Kunitz-Crosby-O'Reilly
Bennett-Malkin-Neal
McGinn-Sutter-Dupuis
Megna-Vitale-Sill (for example)

Maatta-Martin
Scuderi-Niskanen
Despres-Bortuzzo
Dumo

Don't get me wrong, I don't want to trade Letang, per se, but that trade makes us a better team for the next 3 years than having Letang, trading Despres for a rental, and figuring out which reclamation project to slide into a winger spot with Sid or Sutter.

I came to post basically this exact thing. This is what this team needs right now. A good third liner who can fill in with geno and Neal. ROR goes with Sid, adds a serious defensive element, is a fill in (and a very capable fill in) 2C. We get rid of Letangs hangups as we'll.

With the emergence of Niskanen, I believe we need Letangs return more than what Letangs brings us. We have enough pmds and offense to fill Letangs hole. You have several young guys coming up too. Letangs is a luxury...not a need. We need a 1RW. Dupuis to the 3rd line with McGinn and Sutter. This is the depth we need. Especially if we want another Cup.

ROR + McGinn
For
Letang + pick/dump

Is my dream trade right now. As it's the right time to do it. It works out well for both teams.

 

[BoxOfChocolates]

Avs:
Letang
Adams

Pens:
PA Parenteau
Wilson
Barrie
Conditional Pick 3rd Round Pick 2015 (becoming a 2nd Rounder in 2015 if Avs reach the conference finals)

And we will see you in the Cup Finals.

But really, meets both teams needs in a lot of ways.

Avs need a major upgrade to the D core, and Letang fits most of those needs in a big way. Avs probably look to add an additional D man via another trade to play with EJ or Letang, Hejda will play with one of them. Adams fills a need for a veteran depth forward with a winning pedigree.

PA Parenteau would be amazing with either Crosby or Malkin. Wilson provides filler depth on the blueline in the now with Barrie coming in as part of the future. All three guys fit into the Pens cap situation very well, as the three combined make less than Letang. Pick varies depending on end result this season for the Avs. Pens either sit tight with that D core this season and hope Wilson can stay healthy enough or Barrie picks up his game enough to work now OR trade Wilson plus whatever they were going to use to bring in a winger to get a D upgrade.

The Avs aren't getting Letang for that package, let's be real here. If a trade were to be made it would be ROR

 

[T1K]

I wouldn't hate receiving ROR for Letang, but we'd need to get a pick or a solid 3rd liner to even it out a bit. Will ROR be an RFA after this season? I could actually see him being a great fit once the playoffs come around. As much as I like Eberle I think he might be a little too soft to play here. Who would you guys prefer, Wheeler or ROR hypothetically? It's probably worth noting that the only Winnipeg forward we'd go after if we were moving Letang would be Kane.

 

[BrokenStick]

I agree. We need to do everything we can to trade Martin while we can. He is so awful defensively.

Wait, what year is it?

 

[Gallatin]

ROR is a much more complete and all around better player than Wheeler. However Wheeler is a much better skater.

 

[AjaxTelamon]

I wouldn't hate receiving ROR for Letang, but we'd need to get a pick or a solid 3rd liner to even it out a bit. Will ROR be an RFA after this season? I could actually see him being a great fit once the playoffs come around. As much as I like Eberle I think he might be a little too soft to play here. Who would you guys prefer, Wheeler or ROR hypothetically? It's probably worth noting that the only Winnipeg forward we'd go after if we were moving Letang would be Kane.

Yeah he's still an RFA for two more years after this one, but because of how Calgary structured their offer sheet, you have to pay the guy 6.5 mil minimum on his next year's salary. So can keep control of the guy at 6.5 for two years. If you want to buy out UFA years, he'll want a premium beyond that, and because of the cap's predicted increases, he's going to want a new long term deal for big money, and if he doesn't get it, he'll play out the string at 6.5 x 2.

If we trade Letang for the guy, and he won't re-sign, we just hosed ourselves bigtime.

 

[Shady Machine]

I wouldn't hate receiving ROR for Letang, but we'd need to get a pick or a solid 3rd liner to even it out a bit. Will ROR be an RFA after this season? I could actually see him being a great fit once the playoffs come around. As much as I like Eberle I think he might be a little too soft to play here. Who would you guys prefer, Wheeler or ROR hypothetically? It's probably worth noting that the only Winnipeg forward we'd go after if we were moving Letang would be Kane.

I'd pick O'Reilly. He's only 22 years old and is already elite defensively. His offensive game is growing and will continue to get better. Speed and size is the only thing Wheeler has over him, but I think O'Reilly plays a hard enough game to make the size thing unimportant.

 

[Ugene Magic]

Yeah he's still an RFA for two more years after this one, but because of how Calgary structured their offer sheet, you have to pay the guy 6.5 mil minimum on his next year's salary. So can keep control of the guy at 6.5 for two years. If you want to buy out UFA years, he'll want a premium beyond that, and because of the cap's predicted increases, he's going to want a new long term deal for big money, and if he doesn't get it, he'll play out the string at 6.5 x 2.

If we trade Letang for the guy, and he won't re-sign, we just hosed ourselves bigtime.

Maybe he just wants out of Colorado? Or maybe he will sign a bridge contract at 6.0 for longer term?

 

[Shady Machine]

Yeah he's still an RFA for two more years after this one, but because of how Calgary structured their offer sheet, you have to pay the guy 6.5 mil minimum on his next year's salary. So can keep control of the guy at 6.5 for two years. If you want to buy out UFA years, he'll want a premium beyond that, and because of the cap's predicted increases, he's going to want a new long term deal for big money, and if he doesn't get it, he'll play out the string at 6.5 x 2.

If we trade Letang for the guy, and he won't re-sign, we just hosed ourselves bigtime.

That seems pretty unlikely to me, but certainly something to consider.