Kris Letang - Is he worth his new contract?

[Dipsy Doodle]

Niskanen, Engelland, and Letang were our 3 best defensemen in the Philly series, and Despres was good for the 3 games he saw. Martin, Orpik, and Z were getting clowned...especially Martin and Orpik....but ESPECIALLY Martin.

Niskanen wasn't great the past few years, but he was a good 3rd pairing defenseman who could fill in as a serviceable 2nd pair guy when injuries hit. But this year was pretty clearly a huge breakout.

He was looked at as trade bait because a) his skillset was redundant, b) he made too much money, and c) we wanted more size and youth in the line-up and he was looked at as logjamming the likes of Despres and Bort.

 

[Your Boy Troy]

That Engelland/Niskanen pairing were great together.

 

[tom_servo]

Niskanen, Engelland, and Letang were our 3 best defensemen in the Philly series, and Despres was good for the 3 games he saw. Martin, Orpik, and Z were getting clowned...especially Martin and Orpik....but ESPECIALLY Martin.

"Especially Lisa! But especially Bart."

 

[Speaking Moistly]

If memory serves they went into this season with too many defensemen and over the cap, injuries just bailed them out. That was part of the push to trade Niskanen this season.

 

[Waffle Fries]

If memory serves they went into this season with too many defensemen and over the cap, injuries just bailed them out. That was part of the push to trade Niskanen this season.

This is also the first good season he's had since his rookie year. That was the other part of the push.

 

[Ogrezilla]

Niskanen, Engelland, and Letang were our 3 best defensemen in the Philly series, and Despres was good for the 3 games he saw. Martin, Orpik, and Z were getting clowned...especially Martin and Orpik....but ESPECIALLY Martin.

Niskanen wasn't great the past few years, but he was a good 3rd pairing defenseman who could fill in as a serviceable 2nd pair guy when injuries hit. But this year was pretty clearly a huge breakout.

He was looked at as trade bait because a) his skillset was redundant, b) he made too much money, and c) we wanted more size and youth in the line-up and he was looked at as logjamming the likes of Despres and Bort.

this. Nisky wasn't trade bait because he was awful, he was trade bait because he was overpaid for what he brought compared to what the young guys could bring.

 

[Speaking Moistly]

This is also the first good season he's had since his rookie year. That was the other part of the push.

Yeah, but there was another reason coupled with that. He was bad, they needed to cut salary, they have a tonne of defensemen. Shero lucked out, tbh. His stockpile of defensemen and Niskanen performing like this worked out.

Why not trade Orpik, you say?

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

"Especially Lisa! But especially Bart."

Grammar just nailed the delivery of that line, haha.

this. Nisky wasn't trade bait because he was awful, he was trade bait because he was overpaid for what he brought compared to what the young guys could bring.

Yup yup. And we likes our futures/winger trade targets.

 

[Rocket of Russia]

this. Nisky wasn't trade bait because he was awful, he was trade bait because he was overpaid for what he brought compared to what the young guys could bring.

When you're considered "overpaid" at $2.3m....

 

[Ogrezilla]

When you're considered "overpaid" at $2.3m....

well he hadn't looked any better than Despres on his ELC until this season, and we were literally over the cap by less than the difference between Despres and Niskanen's cap until Vokoun went on LTIR.

 

[Riptide]

When you're considered "overpaid" at $2.3m....

When you consider that he wasn't great until this season, and was playing as a 3rd pairing D at the time... and we had players who could easily step in... yes in Oct he was overpaid. Since then he's really stepped up his game.

 

[Waffle Fries]

[Tweet]561150079504248833[/Tweet]

Assisted on every goal since the break, 2 points away from leading defensemen (first in PPG with .91), playing great defense.

How are we feeling about this now?

 

[NeedleInTheHay]

I've been feeling great about it forever, in fact I called Letang getting a Norris nod before the season.

 

[Shockmaster]

Reading this thread makes me remember how badly Shero and Bylsma mangled things. Had they not dicked Despres around he could have made Niskanen expendable, and with Maatta coming along much quicker than anyone envisioned he would have made Orpik expendable. Instead, they decided to screw Despres over, keep Niskanen and Orpik on the roster, and have a bunch of forwards that didn't belong in the NHL.

 

[cheesedanish87]

Hes been really good this year, but i still don't like the contract, it seems like he takes big hits almost every game, i think hes going to be a player who misses a ton of games throughout his career.

 

[chethejet]

Without getting into his health history, he offers skills that very few defense man have so yes you do pay up for that. My hope is he stays healthy enough to make the contract workable. Also he is one of the core guys who with Crosby and Malkin and MAF solidify the important positions.

 

[td_ice]

At this point, Letang's season is a write-off. Unless we get blown away by a deal bringing us an absolutely ideal winger for Sid, you consider this year an aberration and see how he responds next year.

The voice of reason to a knee jerk thread start.

 

[Ogrezilla]

Hes been really good this year, but i still don't like the contract, it seems like he takes big hits almost every game, i think hes going to be a player who misses a ton of games throughout his career.

He always manages to be healthy for the playoffs. As long as that trend continues, I think we're good.

 

[Penguinator]

Hes been really good this year, but i still don't like the contract, it seems like he takes big hits almost every game, i think hes going to be a player who misses a ton of games throughout his career.

Way to go Debbie Downer.

I like the guy's stats, advanced stats AND contract by today's standards.

...oh, and Letang is a cool name too.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

I wasn't super-pleased when they signed him to that monster deal. And yes... it's a huge deal, even for a player of Letang's ability. But that was more because I really felt they could have cashed in their chips with him prior to that and gotten a king's ransom. And I felt that was the wise choice because he was spinning his wheels here under Disco and his staff. Not only that but the GM at the time was absolutely off-his-rocker obsessed with drafting defensemen. Particularly PMD.

I'm pleased to say, however, that I was actually right about something for a change and he's had a huge season this year under MJ. Say what you want about the coach and I have my issues... but this kind of system is tailored to him. And truly I can't stress enough how important it is for a guy who was obviously chaffing under the last regime (and Letang certainly seemed to be) to simply have the slate wiped clean. That's maybe more important than any system changes.

So yeah... he's worth his contract. Personally, I'd love to see him with Kunitz's A.

 

[Human]

not saying he's perfect. as it has been pointed out he has a tendency to get hit a lot. aside from that, the contract looks amazing right about now.

there's a ton of posters in here that just needs to line up for the crow eating, reading this thread...

 

[joeyjake5]

Talent wise Letang has tremendous ability. His biggest problem is CONSISTENCY. Sometimes he is great, other times he is crap. If he can be great 80% of the time, he will win the Norris. Right now, he is not at that level.

 

[Will Hunting]

not saying he's perfect. as it has been pointed out he has a tendency to get hit a lot. aside from that, the contract looks amazing right about now.

there's a ton of posters in here that just needs to line up for the crow eating, reading this thread...

I guess that over such a long periods of time, the opinion is gonna vary. There are times when he looks amazing, there are times when he loses his mind, there are times when he´s injured more often than not.

That said, he would be worth 9M+ if we are talking solely about this season. He´s truly fantastic and deserves at least a Norris nomination so far.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Yes, yes he is. Just like Fleury is.

Now back to your regularly scheduled negative feedback program.

 

[cheesedanish87]

I don't really like to credit or blame a coaches system for a players performance.

You can take a look at the pens team right now and find some players who have played better under DB, and there are some who have played better this year under MJ.