Penguins are a much weaker team without Kris Letang

[Til the End of Time]

nice article explaining the genetics of being injury prone.

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/02/the-genetics-of-being-injury-prone/385257/

 

[Jaded-Fan]

so injuries only count towards a player being injury prone if it's "their fault?" interesting theory, one that goes against the emerging body of scientific literature that says certain people are simply more prone to injuries due to particular genes that encode things like different types of collagens and brain cells.

bottom line some people are genetically prone to injuries. letang is one of them.

Thin bones.

 

[Common Sense]

The key of a running back is to run the ball.

 

[JQR]

Thin bones.

In Letang's case, this isn't his first head injury and he's had migraines since he was 12. It will never get better.

 

[NewAgeOutlaw]

51 games played in 2011-2012
35 games played in 2012-2013
37 games played in 2013-2014
Misses entire Postseason 2014-2015

Can't afford to pay a guy $7.2 who just isn't going to be there.

Well if he misses enough time to be put on ltir then most of his contract won't count against the cap so your concern really doesn't make much sense.

 

[eXile59]

Well if he misses enough time to be put on ltir then most of his contract won't count against the cap so your concern really doesn't make much sense.

Unless you can't like we just couldn't. Then you have to play with 5 dmen and almost miss the playoffs. You can't go into a season thinking that at some point 7 million will be freed up. His health has definitely made things hard moving forward.

 

[NewAgeOutlaw]

Unless you can't like we just couldn't. Then you have to play with 5 dmen and almost miss the playoffs. You can't go into a season thinking that at some point 7 million will be freed up. His health has definitely made things hard moving forward.

The only situation you can't put someone on ltir is in the last 10 games. If you do then the player can't return until next season. Since the Penguins announced Letang was done for the year before the last game I have no clue why they didn't put him on ltir. Try again.

 

[JQR]

The only situation you can't put someone on ltir is in the last 10 games. If you do then the player can't return until next season. Since the Penguins announced Letang was done for the year before the last game I have no clue why they didn't put him on ltir. Try again.

The point is that it makes much more sense to invest $7 million in a player (or players) that you can work with than it does to have $7 million extra in the middle of the season (or worse, after trade deadline) to call up a few stop-gaps.

 

[Iffyiffiffer]

The penguins sucking or really sucking really isn't that much of a distinction.

 

[NewAgeOutlaw]

The point is that it makes much more sense to invest $7 million in a player (or players) that you can work with than it does to have $7 million extra in the middle of the season (or worse, after trade deadline) to call up a few stop-gaps.

And my point is that trading a 7 million dollar player when their value is low is stupid because you will get **** all for them.

Since you believe that Letang is a liability what makes you think we'll get anything of value in a trade for him? Do you just assume the other 29 gm's are idiots?

 

[Speaking Moistly]

Letang's health is concerning, for him and the team, but the Pens are a freakshow as far as health goes. There's simply no planning for what can happen with them and you can't build a season around the random, awful thing that will happen next. Letang's loss would be easier to absorb if Maatta hadn't been shut down for the season, if Ehrhoff hadn't turned fragile and even if Pouliot hadn't gone down to push them to 5 D again, but it's the Pens and injuries once again piled up.

Crosby's concussion/neck (the cringe worthiness of his jaw), Vokoun's blood clot, Letang's stroke, Dupuis' blood clots, Maatta's cancer and re-****ed shoulder and whatever else isn't normal. The Doan hit is awful but it's a **** happened and someone predictably got injured from it situation. The accumulation of injuries is a serious concern with Letang at this point more than the number of games he's played in a season.

 

[JQR]

And my point is that trading a 7 million dollar player when their value is low is stupid because you will get **** all for them.

Since you believe that Letang is a liability what makes you think we'll get anything of value in a trade for him? Do you just assume the other 29 gm's are idiots?

It really depends on when he gets on the LTIR. If they expect him to be out next season, throw him on LTIR from the start and you have his cap space to play with for at least one season. That's probably best case scenario. Second best would be him going out before the trade deadline. In either case, there's always the possibility of a franchise that is looking to offload extra baggage in players that have high caps and haven't met expectations and they are willing to take the LTIR guy for that extra cap space. Not saying that's a very common scenario, but it's possible.

 

[BrunoPuntzJones]

If Letang's injury history is enough to make you say we should trade him, then you should be making the same argument about Crosby and Malkin.

 

[Jacob]

If Letang's injury history is enough to make you say we should trade him, then you should be making the same argument about Crosby and Malkin.

The couple posters that keep throwing that line into the water never propose any alternative.

 

[ColePens]

I'm not a doctor so I'll stay out of the medical stuff. I do blame the latest injury on letang. He admired the pass up ice. You have to be ready for all hits. Especially how games were officiated this season. He should have been ready.

 

[SCPens]

We all know Letang's issues stem from what's between his ears. Fantastic athlete but a 2 cent brain. He puts himself in bad situations and this has contributed to some of his injuries.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

I think it's painfully obvious the league's supposed concussion testing and waiting period to be cleared is a joke. That is what angers me the most, to expect players to respect each other on the ice is never going to happen and Letang was attacked once and then hit when the play moved away for the sake of making contact by Doan for his 2nd concussion this year.

Letang should have never been allowed back as soon as he was after the Rinaldo hit.

 

[DearDiary]

Losing a #1 defensemen who has almost 3x the points of the next D on the team makes the Pens weaker? You've convinced me

 

[JQR]

If Letang's injury history is enough to make you say we should trade him, then you should be making the same argument about Crosby and Malkin.

Not comparable. Not even close. Letang has had migraines since he was 12, and 4 concussions and a ****ing stroke. Crosby had what, one bad head injury, that turned out to actually be vertebrae swelling (or something, don't remember exactly)? Then random body injuries. Malkin... an ACL tear? Was there anything else?

Letang's head injuries warrant serious concern. If you think they are in any way comparable to anyone short of Pronger or Savard then maybe you should get your own head checked.

 

[Joejosh999]

I'm to the point I kind of Hope he calls it a career.
If they are declaring him completely unavailable this relatively early in the process, there must be significant concern.
He's had at least 4, and that's just the ones I recall over the last couple years. There could easily be more.

I think a lifetime of migraines also raises your risk for early dementia.

I'd be fine if Letang retired.

 

[theicebox]

Thanks for this. I wish these guys could have a dialogue about Craig Adams...

 

[AquaticBirdman]

Perhaps players like Kris don't grow on trees and thus, aren't easily replaceable.

This. I'm really sick and tired of the unmerited hate that Tanger gets around here. He's easily the best dman this team has seen in years. Only our fickle fanbase can somehow find reason to complain about a 50+ point dman that plays with an edge.

And hte injury prone excuse is lame. We can easily say the same about guys like Sid, Geno, and half the other players on this team over the last 5 years alone.

 

[JQR]

This. I'm really sick and tired of the unmerited hate that Tanger gets around here. He's easily the best dman this team has seen in years. Only our fickle fanbase can somehow find reason to complain about a 50+ point dman that plays with an edge.

And hte injury prone excuse is lame. We can easily say the same about guys like Sid, Geno, and half the other players on this team over the last 5 years alone.

You can't easily say anything because none of those injuries are comparable. What we thought were concussions with Sid turned out to be soft tissue in his spine, which was treated and he's been basically a rock ever since (even got hit in the face with a ~100 mph puck and didn't exhibit any "concussion-like symptoms). Letang has a lifetime history of head problems, starting with migraines at 12 and more recently 4 concussions and a stroke in the last few years. His condition is unique in this injury-riddled roster.

 

[Penguinzilla*]

nice article explaining the genetics of being injury prone.

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/02/the-genetics-of-being-injury-prone/385257/

Letang and Bennett tend to stand upright after making plays instead of bracing themselves for contact. Zees leads to injury.

 

[Ragamuffin Gunner]

Mind = Blown !!!