[Rumour] Letang on the move? Upd: Letang turns down 8yr $56mil contract

[sureLoss]

Looks like talks between Letang and the Penguins have stalled:

Lawrence Dushenski ‏@LD10 3m Rossi on @TSN1050Radio - Toronto has emerged as a preferred landing spot for Letang. Penguins want at least 1 roster player/prospect/1st

update:
http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/...#axzz2XNnTxtY2

Kris Letang prefers to play for the Penguins.

He also prefers to play for a team that believes he is its best defenseman.

Letang, coming off his first Norris Trophy (top defenseman) nomination, has grown uneasy about his standing within the organization, sources said Wednesday.

The Tribune-Review recently reported that some members of management and coaches rated Paul Martin as the club's best defenseman last season.

Penguins general manager Ray Shero remains high on Letang, especially his upside.

He repeatedly has stated a desire to work out a long-term contract with Letang, 26.

However, Shero has not ruled out any option, including a trade.

Letang does not have a full- or limited-movement clause in his contract, and he has not requested a trade.

He reiterated Wednesday that his focus is on working out a new contract with the Penguins.

However, Toronto has emerged as a potential destination if there is a breaking point with the Penguins, the sources said.

To trade Letang, the Penguins would seek the return of an NHL-ready player under contract, at least one top prospect and a potential first-round draft pick, the sources said.

[Erick Estrada]

If Leafs fans think Phaneuf can be an adventure in his own zone Letang is a carnival. It's one thing to play like that with the Penguins firepower but it will be interesting to see if his talent (essentially a rover) translates to success on lesser teams.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Total and complete gong show in his own end. If he moves away from the Penguins he's going to be exposed big time.

[trackercowe]

No Letang thread is complete without MMF jumping him calling him a gong show in his own end. Completely untrue, and he'll be a major asset for any team that acquires him. He actually was probably the best Penguins player in the last couple games against the Bruins, and made a couple great defensive plays when essentially the entire team no showed.

Average defensively, but possibly the best offensive dman in the league right now. He also produced at a similar rate when Malkin or Crosby were out of the lineup, so he should be capable of producing similar results without them. He's not at the level of a Chara or Suter where he can carry a defensive corps almost on his own, and build a team around him, but he could get close to that point eventually. He also just turned 26 in April, so Letang is just about to hit his prime. He's not coming here, but I'd be scared if the Oilers are in play for him (which they probably will be).

Yep, looks like others agree with me: http://thehockeywriters.com/kris-let...an-strike-oil/

I for one do not want the Oilers getting their hands on a top 5-10 defenceman in Letang.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

Total and complete gong show in his own end. If he moves away from the Penguins he's going to be exposed big time.

While I'm sure the Penguins would have loved to keep him I'm sure they realized over the past two playoffs that having a guy that one dimensional as your top defenseman simply isn't going to take you to the cup. The 2009 Cup team had Gonchar, Gill, Scuderi, Sydor. This year's team had Letang and a bunch of defenseman that would have trouble cracking the Flames top 4. They would be much better off with a guy in the mould of Suter as a franchise defenseman.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

While I'm sure the Penguins would have loved to keep him I'm sure they realized over the past two playoffs that having a guy that one dimensional as your top defenseman simply isn't going to take you to the cup. The 2009 Cup team had Gonchar, Gill, Scuderi, Sydor. This year's team had Letang and a bunch of defenseman that would have trouble cracking the Flames top 4. They would be much better off with a guy in the mould of Suter as a franchise defenseman.

Absolutely.

I would love to see a team like the Oilers get Letang. They would pay him a huge salary and he would just be a disaster.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

Absolutely.

I would love to see a team like the Oilers get Letang. They would pay him a huge salary and he would just be a disaster.

Agreed. Their powerplay is already amongst the top of the league so Letang's main benefit isn't really a point of need. He doesn't address their biggest need which is a shutdown defenseman. He and Schultz paired together would be pure gold and the massive chunk of salary cap he would command would be icing on the cake.

[trackercowe]

Yeah, he's not really that one-dimensional. He had a mediocre showing in the playoffs, but so did the entire Penguins team. He did still finish second on the Penguins in scoring though with 16 points in 15 games. The only other players who made it out of the second round that averaged more than a point per game were Krejci, Malkin, and Crosby. He's a phenomenal offensive talent, something which no one can question,

But just to back up my point on Letang being a decent two-way player, here is a great article which pretty much sums up why he is not a "gong show" in his own end like MMF has said 1,000 times.

http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?p...2#.UcujgDQ3u8A

Here is what we do know. Kris Letang is one of the most physically skilled defenseman in the entire NHL. His skating is amongst the best. It is the driving force behind what makes him a difference maker. He is able to make up ground defensively because of his speed, as well as join the play offensively. He has the ability to play in any situation. He has the ability to play huge minutes. His offseason work ethic is very good. He has a high compete level and is willing to mix it up physically. He is also currently a finalist for the Norris Trophy.

Letang is also 8th in Fenwick % in the last five years



And you can go ahead and say it's a meaningless stat, but just look at the company surrounding him. Most would agree most of the better two way dmen are on that list, with Letang among them.

[Jables16]

It's a little unfair how much people pile on Letang's defensive game. He obviously has some short-comings but it's not like he's Marc-Andre Bergeron. Depending on the return from the trade the Pens would miss his contributions big time. Defensemen with his offensive ability are very hard to come by.

[Ped]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

While I'm sure the Penguins would have loved to keep him I'm sure they realized over the past two playoffs that having a guy that one dimensional as your top defenseman simply isn't going to take you to the cup. The 2009 Cup team had Gonchar, Gill, Scuderi, Sydor. This year's team had Letang and a bunch of defenseman that would have trouble cracking the Flames top 4. They would be much better off with a guy in the mould of Suter as a franchise defenseman.

Gonchar was one-dimensional and by your own reasoning was the top defenceman in 2009. Gill and Scuderi at their peak were #4 guys and Sydor by 2009 was not the Sydor of his prime. Plus he was in Dallas when Pittsburgh won the cup.

The difference in D between 2009 and 2013 isn't at the top end, where Letang and Martin played every bit as well as Gonchar and Letang this year.

The difference is that Gill/Scuderi/younger Eaton/younger Orpik was more capable then older-slower Orpik/older-slower Eaton/Niskanen/Murray.

[Bertuzzied]

To the OILERz pleaze!!!!!!

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by trackercowe

Yeah, he's not really that one-dimensional. He had a mediocre showing in the playoffs, but so did the entire Penguins team. He did still finish second on the Penguins in scoring though with 16 points in 15 games. The only other players who made it out of the second round that averaged more than a point per game were Krejci, Malkin, and Crosby. He's a phenomenal offensive talent, something which no one can question,

But just to back up my point on Letang being a decent two-way player, here is a great article which pretty much sums up why he is not a "gong show" in his own end like MMF has said 1,000 times.

http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?p...2#.UcujgDQ3u8A



Letang is also 8th in Fenwick % in the last five years



And you can go ahead and say it's a meaningless stat, but just look at the company surrounding him. Most would agree most of the better two way dmen are on that list, with Letang among them.

Yeah like Brian Campbell which just goes to show that it's a somewhat flawed stat. Deaf ears here propping him up. I know what I saw with my own eyes and nothing you will say will change what I saw. Lets not forget that he was even worst last year's playoffs. He's a plus player in the regular season over his career that turns into an even player in the playoffs. I'm not saying he's useless as he is very skilled and would help a lot of teams that are missing an offensive defenseman but he can't play the two way game like Niedermeyer could.

[Hockey_Ninja]

How funny would it be if the Oilers traded the 7th pick+ for him and the Penguins took Nurse and he turned into a better defenseman.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Ped

Gonchar was one-dimensional and by your own reasoning was the top defenceman in 2009. Gill and Scuderi at their peak were #4 guys and Sydor by 2009 was not the Sydor of his prime. Plus he was in Dallas when Pittsburgh won the cup.

The difference in D between 2009 and 2013 isn't at the top end, where Letang and Martin played every bit as well as Gonchar and Letang this year.

The difference is that Gill/Scuderi/younger Eaton/younger Orpik was more capable then older-slower Orpik/older-slower Eaton/Niskanen/Murray.

Gonchar has rounded out pretty well at the end of his career and was excellent for Ottawa this season.

[d_phaneuf]

whoever gets him

it's going to be a monster deal

I think he gets 6.5+ long term

[doctajones428]

Glencross, Backlund, Butler, 22nd?

Glencross, Brodie, 22nd?

[sureLoss]

Originally Posted by doctajones428

Glencross, Backlund, Butler, 22nd?

No, the Flames should not be anywhere near the negotiations for Letang.

1. The assets to acquire him would cost too much
2. He doesn't speed up the rebuild at all
3. He will be in his decline by the time the Flames are ready to go back into the playoffs

[Hockey_Ninja]

Originally Posted by doctajones428

Glencross, Backlund, Butler, 22nd?

Glencross, Brodie, 22nd?

The Flames are in no position to trade for a big fish.

[PeteMoss]

Leafs already pay Liles 4.25 million. He's a poor man's Letang (and honestly if you put Liles on the Pens who knows how many more points he would have had versus being on the Avs) and they don't even dress him.

[doctajones428]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

No, the Flames should not be anywhere near the negotiations for Letang.

1. The assets to acquire him would cost too much
2. He doesn't speed up the rebuild at all
3. He will be in his decline by the time the Flames are ready to go back into the playoffs

Good point, actually