Speculation: Letang Doesn't Close Door to Trade, 'It's a Business'

[Bone Density]

Not that his contract is really moveable but an interesting quote nonetheless?

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[Empoleon8771]

I'm super skeptical anyone would want to touch Letang's deal. Letang still has 3 years left on his deal after this year and he has taken a significant step back from where he was in the past. I think he's probably more of a 3/4 that's just playing way too much on a very bad team at this point, but that with 3 years at $6.1 million is a lot for any team to swallow.

Ultimately I think the Penguins trade Karlsson and keep Letang, mostly because that's what the market will force them to do. They can find a suitor for Karlsson and likely get a 1st for him, just like Seth Jones did yesterday. But Letang's probably immovable due to his contract, unless he has a big bounce back season next year.

 

[Turin]

As one of his biggest fans ever I think Letang is pretty much cooked as an impact player, so I’m not sure there’s any team who wants his deal, but who knows.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

I'm super skeptical anyone would want to touch Letang's deal. Letang still has 3 years left on his deal after this year and he has taken a significant step back from where he was in the past. I think he's probably more of a 3/4 that's just playing way too much on a very bad team at this point, but that with 3 years at $6.1 million is a lot for any team to swallow.

Ultimately I think the Penguins trade Karlsson and keep Letang, mostly because that's what the market will force them to do. They can find a suitor for Karlsson and likely get a 1st for him, just like Seth Jones did yesterday. But Letang's probably immovable due to his contract, unless he has a big bounce back season next year.

nobody is immovable

 

[MetalheadPenguinsFan]

Should’ve traded him years ago.

He’s cooked and is essentially a corpse on skates at this point.

Plus I doubt they wanna break up the “Big 3”

He’s not going anywhere…

 

[Coffee]

I'm super skeptical anyone would want to touch Letang's deal. Letang still has 3 years left on his deal after this year and he has taken a significant step back from where he was in the past. I think he's probably more of a 3/4 that's just playing way too much on a very bad team at this point, but that with 3 years at $6.1 million is a lot for any team to swallow.

Ultimately I think the Penguins trade Karlsson and keep Letang, mostly because that's what the market will force them to do. They can find a suitor for Karlsson and likely get a 1st for him, just like Seth Jones did yesterday. But Letang's probably immovable due to his contract, unless he has a big bounce back season next year.

Everybody moves, dude

 

[Le Magnifique 66]

GMJR knew it all along, that was the time to move him
Too late now IMO, no chance a team touches that deal. EK is worth it, not Kris

 

[Petes2424]

Unless they retained a nice chunk, just don’t see it, and they have to keep a slot open for EK.

So maybe this summer they can figure out a way, unless maybe it’s at the last moment and EK isn’t moved by Friday??? We’ll see. He can turn into a Petry situation for sure. Where the team he ends up with pays the least AAV for him. Unfortunately he’d likely end up just like Petry too. Where his new fans can’t wait to get rid of him before he’s completed year 1.

 

[Uncle Scrooge]

Who is the last player in their late 30's to play a top 6 F / top 4 D role on a cup winning team?

I can't think of one from the last decade.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Who is the last player in their late 30's to play a top 6 F / top 4 D role on a cup winning team?

I can't think of one from the last decade.

Martinez with the Knights, Bouwmeester with the Blues, Orpik with the Capitals and Kunitz with the Penguins are the best examples since the 2016 cup. It's not unheard of but most cup winners in the past few years haven't had anyone over 35.

 

[MXD]

Who is the last player in their late 30's to play a top 6 F / top 4 D role on a cup winning team?

I can't think of one from the last decade.

Well, if "late 30s" mean "second half of 30s", Alec Martinez and Jay Bouwmeester comes to mind as ones who did fairly recently. I guess Chris Kunitz was somewhere between 6th forward and 7th forward while being more of a "late 30s" guy.

 

[Uncle Scrooge]

Martinez with the Knights, Bouwmeester with the Blues, Orpik with the Capitals and Kunitz with the Penguins are the best examples since the 2016 cup. It's not unheard of but most cup winners in the past few years haven't had anyone over 35.

Well, if "late 30s" mean "second half of 30s", Alec Martinez and Jay Bouwmeester comes to mind as ones who did fairly recently. I guess Chris Kunitz was somewhere between 6th forward and 7th forward while being more of a "late 30s" guy.

I'm specifically talking about guys in their late 30's like Letang. 35 is still mid 30's and often a couple years on top of that makes a difference.

Martinez and Bouwmeester were 35 if I'm not mistaken, and Orpik wasn't playing top 4 minutes. Kunitz #7 in ice time for forwards as well last time the Pens won.

So yeah I suppose it doesn't really happen. Letang is going to turn 38 before the second round of the playoffs starts.

I guess a contender would look at him as a luxury #5 and that's where the contract becomes an issue.

 

[Clint Eastwood]

I'm specifically talking about guys in their late 30's like Letang. 35 is still mid 30's and often a couple years on top of that makes a difference.

Martinez and Bouwmeester were 35 if I'm not mistaken, and Orpik wasn't playing top 4 minutes. Kunitz #7 in ice time for forwards as well last time the Pens won.

So yeah I suppose it doesn't really happen. Letang is going to turn 38 before the second round of the playoffs starts.

I guess a contender would look at him as a luxury #5 and that's where the contract becomes an issue.

Mark Recchi for the Bruins was flanking Marchand/Bergeron on the 2nd line at age 42.

 

[Zirakzigil]

Like Sid and Geno, he retires a Pen unless he asks out.

 

[LTIR]

Well after the deal made today Letang can fetch a 1st plus a franchise goalie prospect if 15% retained

 

[voyageur]

Would Montreal bring him home to end his career if the Pens ate around half the salary? He looks cooked to me but if you gave him the opportunity to play defense with Lane Hutson would he be any good? With the veteran smarts.

 

[Ulf5]

Like Sid and Geno, he retires a Pen unless he asks out.

Click bait from the author.

 

[canuckslover10]

letting to MTL would be cool, it would probably be pretty cheap too.

 

[Legion34]

I'm specifically talking about guys in their late 30's like Letang. 35 is still mid 30's and often a couple years on top of that makes a difference.

Martinez and Bouwmeester were 35 if I'm not mistaken, and Orpik wasn't playing top 4 minutes. Kunitz #7 in ice time for forwards as well last time the Pens won.

So yeah I suppose it doesn't really happen. Letang is going to turn 38 before the second round of the playoffs starts.

I guess a contender would look at him as a luxury #5 and that's where the contract becomes an issue.

It might be easier if you give an age you want. Like 38 plus?

Also. Did he not get a cup for the year he missed the playoffs?

He played 70 games.

 

[Beauner]

The original tweet was deleted, but the article and the quotes from Letang really don’t read like a commentary on his future specifically. Seems like a big nothing-burger

 

[centipede2233]

Martinez with the Knights, Bouwmeester with the Blues, Orpik with the Capitals and Kunitz with the Penguins are the best examples since the 2016 cup. It's not unheard of but most cup winners in the past few years haven't had anyone over 35.

Every single cup winning team in the cap era, their best player nucleus are always 31 and under. Lidstrom and hossa were older when they won, but they also had prime Kane, Toews, Keith, Datsyuk and Zetterberg. You don’t win a cup where a majority of your good players are in their 30’s, ever. Not in a cap world anyway

 

[HockeyVirus]

Man the Penguins with just a bit of leadership in management could have saved the franchise probably 5 years of rebuilding time by trading all these guys over the last few years for firsts and prospects. They still would have been bad for a bit, but they could have very easily taken 3-5 years off their timeline which is huge.

 

[BLNY]

letting to MTL would be cool, it would probably be pretty cheap too.

No thanks.

 

[Ottawa2171]

The contract is difficult, but the only thing I’ll add is that Letang is a player who plays with a major chip on his shoulder. If he were to get moved, that team would be getting the best version of Letang (that you can get at this point of his career.) Which I feel is still a very good 2nd pair defensemen with pedigree.

 

[vokiel]

Definitely the right mentality to have, but still... Have you seen your contract Kriss?

It's not aligned with it.