Letang and Beyond

TSN.ca reports that Kris Letang countered Penguins GM Ray Shero's offer of a $7.5 million per year offer with what might be perceived as a very reasonable $8 million per year request. On paper, this might seem like the most meager of differences. To the Penguins, though, a balk at $7.5M may be an albatross off of their shoulders before it ever settled in.

I needn't remind you of Letang's recent inconsistent postseason performance. The power play's performance spoke for itself once Paul Martin went down. His shot isn't all that accurate, nor is his pure defensive skill. He tends to make the ill-advised pinch a bit more often than we'd like. He's a bona fide risk taker. That's his game. That said though, he's a marvelous puck mover and an incredible skater. If you can't retain this skill set, is this something you lose sleep over?

What the Pens need is a group that will break through in the postseason, not one that will hurricane the competition during the regular season only to gently fade into the northeast once the best of seven's begin. For as good as Kris Letang is during the regular season, for as much as he's grown as a Norris trophy candidate, for as reasonable as $500k sounds - Letang's value to the Pens is no longer firing pucks at the net. It's in his value as an organizational asset.

There's a lot to be said about players who make an excess of $7.5 million, annually. Heck, Pittsburgh has two of them currently rostered in Malkin and Crosby. Here's what's important to remember about them. They are counted on to win games by accumulating a significant amount of points. The Pens are paying Malkin and Crosby to put the puck in the net in an above-average clip. The same couldn't be said of Letang.

Yes, Letang tends to be an offensive catalyst, but he isn't going to be a 50 goal scorer from the blueline. He'll be counted to move the puck out of our zone - to make clean, effective breakouts - to ensure that the puck gets to the stick of players like Malkin and Crosby. He'll chip in as necessary offensively, when the top guys need bailed out, but he won't be counted on to provide a night-to-night scoring threat.

So, if the Pens are paying guys like Malkin and Crosby the big bucks to score goals, should they pay a similar price for a puck distributor? Looking back at this past season, we saw a resurgent Paul Martin take control of the power play. Letang's no power play quarterback, by the traditional definition. For better or for worse, the Pens have another talented, young defenseman in Simon Despres who displayed flashes of immense skill when he was allowed to play last season. (I believe Bylsma terribly mismanaged him during the season, but that's neither here nor there.) Allow this kid to play, to develop and reap the rewards. Then there's the incredibly "D" heavy farm system with prospects nearly ready to assume full time NHL roles. These prospects are, for the most part, cut from a cloth similar to Letang.

This paves the road out for Letang. The most logical decision to make would be to trade Kris Letang before the draft, this weekend. If the Jordan Staal trade is the precedent, then the Pens could likely expect to gain a first round pick (something they lack in this draft), a reliable defenseman and 1-2 cost-controlled forward prospects (one of which is likely NHL-ready).

Will the Pens replace Letang next year? There's a distinct possibility that they may NEVER replace his true skating, puck moving ability. But for a team devoid of forward talent depth, a trade must be made. This is probably the only time in professional sports where $500k gap in negotiations will result in the loss of a star caliber player. And it's only for the best that this happens.