Roll Call: Do you want to trade Letang?

[#66]

Don't expect a Letang improvement until we switch coaches. And that ain't happening anytime soon.

I don't even blame the players anymore.

The Pens have been about soft, freelance, mistake hockey for the better part of 30 years. The few times they weren't... they won cups.

I'm not even sure if GM's can GM or if coaches can coach when they're with the Pens.

 

[Ogrezilla]

I have been saying it since the threads discussing his potential extension. I will be mad if Letang is traded before Disco is fired. Then again, I am usually mad when I think about Disco being our coach.

 

[Jag68Sid87]

Does Letang's limited no trade clause kick in only next season?

I believe so.

 

[Ogrezilla]

I believe so.

until then, I think its just a promise. But ask Dupuis, those are air tight.

 

[IcedCapp]

until then, I think its just a promise. But ask Dupuis, those are air tight.

holy ****, KIRK hacked Ogre's account

 

[cheesedanish87]

Im starting to feel like Kris Letang is on his way to becoming the next Wade Redden.

 

[Gurglesons]

Im starting to feel like Kris Letang is on his way to becoming the next Wade Redden.

His career is on a downward spiral because of lack of foot speed and finesse?

 

[cheesedanish87]

His career is on a downward spiral because of lack of foot speed and finesse?

There different players but the downward spiral part is where there similar.

 

[Ogrezilla]

holy ****, KIRK hacked Ogre's account

sorry, last nights game really bothered me more than any in a while.

 

[Ogrezilla]

There different players but the downward spiral part is where there similar.

Its been like 30 games.

 

[cheesedanish87]

Its been like 30 games.

Yeah i know, i hope its just a really bad first half of the season and he will get back to playing solid hockey, but ATM i feel like its going to end up being a really bad contract that is going to hurt the pens for the next 8 years.

 

[IcedCapp]

sorry, last nights game really bothered me more than any in a while.

I was laughing more than accusing.

 

[Jag68Sid87]

It's no wonder Letang was a Norris finalist. TSN is still slobbering over his Vancouver performance. I thought he played 'well' in that game, not anywhere near deserving the accolades they've been spewing about his play that night.

I guess flash and dash is more noticeable than stable and steady.

 

[Shockmaster]

If the Penguins start trading star players away before firing Bylsma, they'll become the Nashville Predators of the east.

 

[jmelm]

It's no wonder Letang was a Norris finalist. TSN is still slobbering over his Vancouver performance. I thought he played 'well' in that game, not anywhere near deserving the accolades they've been spewing about his play that night.

I guess flash and dash is more noticeable than stable and steady.

I'm sorry, but I'll take the opinion of Ray Ferraro, a player who played over 1200 NHL games and was on the ice level, quite seriously. And he wasn't "slobbering" over his performance still. He said last night during the Oilers game that Letang had a virtuoso performance in Vancouver (which I agree with, since on balance he was outstanding and our team's best player that game), in contrast to the risky and poor play he was displaying last night against Edmonton. It was a brutal game for Letang, but people have to be reasonable and give things a bit more time. How many games has he actually played with Scuderi at this point?

There different players but the downward spiral part is where there similar.

Its been like 30 games.

Yeah, holy ****. Jesus, it takes more than a few handfuls of bad games before you can legitimately say he's Wade f*ing Redden. Yes, Letang has had, overall, a really weak season. But he trained his ass off this summer harder than he ever has, so his work ethic hasn't declined. And there have been games this season where he has played extremely well, just not consistently so, and there have been games when he's been really bad.

Paul Martin had an entire season in which he played like a horses ******* and we all wanted (rightfully) to crucify him, and he turned things around and has become an elite Dman again. Letang has been in and out of the line-up with some freak injuries (a knee injury he sustained at West Point, and an elbow infection). He's had a revolving door of partners. We need to exercise some patience here before we crucify this player. I'm sure Kris would be the first person to tell you he hasn't been great and needs to be better. This is a player all about leadership, work ethic, heart and determination. I have ZERO doubt he will regain the high level of play he has achieved in the past. If Paul Martin can do it, Letang can do it.

 

[Jag68Sid87]

Working hard is not the issue with Letang and never has been. Less is more for him. Less. Is. More.

 

[Darth Vitale]

Im starting to feel like Kris Letang is on his way to becoming the next Wade Redden.

Said it before, will say it again: most of Letang's problems stem from the role he is asked to play in our aggressive N-S system. Give Kris Letang to Quenville or someone who knows what the F he's doing, and watch a different D appear before your eyes.

He does have some really bad games and some of the mistakes are just him being dumb (in the same way Geno sometimes loses his brain for no reason) but IMO under a better coach and system most of Letang's flaws would disappear even though it may not be overnight given how long he's been coached this way. There's no reason in the world to think he'll be the next Redden because Redden's problems were psychological. All that stuff happened in his personal life and he fell apart.

 

[cheesedanish87]

Said it before, will say it again: most of Letang's problems stem from the role he is asked to play in our aggressive N-S system. Give Kris Letang to Quenville or someone who knows what the F he's doing, and watch a different D appear before your eyes.

He does have some really bad games and some of the mistakes are just him being dumb (in the same way Geno sometimes loses his brain for no reason) but IMO under a better coach and system most of Letang's flaws would disappear even though it may not be overnight given how long he's been coached this way. There's no reason in the world to think he'll be the next Redden because Redden's problems were psychological. All that stuff happened in his personal life and he fell apart.

Martin is part of the coaching staff, hes known for being a great defensive coach.

I don't think you can blame the coaches for Letang, just like i don't think you can credit the coaches for a player like Neal who has become a much better player this year.

 

[Darth Vitale]

I don't think Martin or any of the assistants have the last say on our systems or how guys are used, but who knows. All I know is Letang seems to be encouraged to be a 4th forward a lot of the time, and it's not necessary to use him that way in order to get a lot of value out of him on both sides of the ice.

I think the biggest improvement I've seen with Neal is his skating and puck handling the last 12 months or so, and that's not something that can be credited to the coaches, I agree. Power skating coach maybe. And of course...

(I wonder if he didn't have hockey, if Gary would've ended up on death row or something. He's got that look of an angry, angry man. Some might say... "dark".)

 

[jmelm]

Working hard is not the issue with Letang and never has been. Less is more for him. Less. Is. More.

I agree, and it's the same issue with Despres, Pouliot and most young players, especially Dmen. That's why we see ups and downs with various players, sophomore slumps, etc.

I think we all know what Kris Letang's issues are, but the difference is the level of patience and perspective that people have about him improving on that. In my mind, I have zero doubt that Kris will get things figured out and improve his game, just like Paul Martin and other players have done before him. Some people, OTOH, think that just because it's been 30 interspersed games with various partners, that he should be slain or traded and that he is beyond improvement (or are putting their own self-assessed arbitrary limits on how much he can improve and tie it to his cap hit, without taking into account the changing salary cap and economic projections), and thus determining he's not worth being here.

As I've said with similar circumstances before: we are NOT actually in a position at this point where Letang's salary is actually causing us a problem in terms of opportunity cost and having to forego adding another player. We simply extended a very good, young and sought-after Dman at market value, giving us a great asset to keep or trade. People are acting and stating that Letang is/has actually gotten in the way of/prevented us from acquiring high-end wingers or whatever, when in reality that is false. Letang was on this team when we went after Parise and Suter. And if we had gotten a high-priced player and needed to open up some cap room, I would sooner have moved an Orpik or Jokinen or other players before dumping Kris or what: letting him leave as a UFA?

I'm not pointing these latter statements all at you. I'm just saying there is no sense of perspective and a lot of people putting carts before horses on this issue; and an absolute lack of patience and jumping to conclusions about this player and the idea that his game is beyond repair/improvement, or even the idea that relatively unproven commodities like Despres or Pouliot can just step right in and bring what Kris does when he's playing well.

 

[tinkezione]

(I wonder if he didn't have hockey, if Gary would've ended up on death row or something. He's got that look of an angry, angry man. Some might say... "dark".)

Good old LCS Hockey (been defunct for years now) put it nicely at the time he embarrassed Wade Redden in the playoffs: "He played his rookie season in Sparta."

 

[KIRK]

Said it before, will say it again: most of Letang's problems stem from the role he is asked to play in our aggressive N-S system. Give Kris Letang to Quenville or someone who knows what the F he's doing, and watch a different D appear before your eyes.

He does have some really bad games and some of the mistakes are just him being dumb (in the same way Geno sometimes loses his brain for no reason) but IMO under a better coach and system most of Letang's flaws would disappear even though it may not be overnight given how long he's been coached this way. There's no reason in the world to think he'll be the next Redden because Redden's problems were psychological. All that stuff happened in his personal life and he fell apart.

****, imagine giving Malkin to someone who knows what the **** he's doing.

 

[dueling mullets]

Interesting stat on Letang. Supports my belief that his boneheaded turnovers really effect Fleury and Fleury's already paper thin confidence. Think about how many games Letang has played in this season...

 

[cygnus47]

Interesting stat on Letang. Supports my belief that his boneheaded turnovers really effect Fleury and Fleury's already paper thin confidence. Think about how many games Letang has played in this season...

Haha, wasn't someone on here planning on looking that stat up?

 

[ColePens]

No need to rehash this thread as of right now. We have a trade speculation thread available to speak.